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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26419273">Fragmented Reflections</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadamMerluvli/pseuds/MadamMerluvli'>MadamMerluvli</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>No Straight Roads (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Comfort, Gen, Growth, Healing, I'll update tags as different things happen, Post Game, Self healing, Some angst here and there, self exploration</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:21:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>25,000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26419273</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadamMerluvli/pseuds/MadamMerluvli</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of Mayday and Zuke's musical revolution, NSR had gone through a plethora of changes to back up Tatiana's promise to the people of Vinyl City. One such artist however, was struggling with accepting herself to the point where she no longer felt fit to be among the elite stars. This is her story of self reflection and growth.<br/>This is Eve's Healing Avenue, her path to remembering who she once was, and just how special she truly can be!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>90</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. End As We Know It</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I am nothing but predictable and start things out with some angsty notes of TatixEve(It's very slight which is why i didn't add it to the ship part of tagging and its really only relevant in a couple of chapters), but that is about it. Ch2 is where things will be set in motion! I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> “You don’t need anyone to complete you. You complete yourself.” </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>      The words from that day resounded in her head, even after NSR began their efforts to fix their wrongdoings and misguided visions. Eve sat and pondered over these words once again, the delivery, the way the man who spoke them to her said them, even after all she had done in her blinded fury.</p><p> </p><p>      “Perhaps...He is right.”</p><p> </p><p>      The diva sighed and propped her arm up on the armrest of a sofa in Tatiana’s office, partly frustrated, partly in thought.</p><p> </p><p>      “Someone sounds perplexed. If i didn’t know any better, I’d say it would have to do with that ex of yours.” A voice came, calling Eve from her thoughts once more. A mug was shoved in front of her and Eve looked up to see the CEO of NSR, Tatiana, offering her the cup of coffee, which she happily accepted. “Is it about what he said to you back there?” She asked, sitting next to Eve. The diva nodded and took a sip from her cup. </p><p> </p><p>      “So much has happened within the past month, the meetings, the change ups, the re-opening of auditions; not to mention the exhibit list at the gallery and just people in general. Of course most of their jargon is all the same, but it does add up.” Eve spoke, using hand gestures here and there to emphasize her points before resting her head against her propped up hand with a dramatic sigh. “If you really must know, I...have been thinking…” Her hesitation before finishing that statement would be enough to pique Tatiana’s interest, of that she was certain.</p><p> </p><p>      Tatiana nodded along in agreement to the things Eve said before raising an eyebrow and shooting her a curious look and put her mug down.</p><p> </p><p>      “Well, I mean clearly you have. But...specifically about what? You never make it a point to be so direct. Unless it’s something of importance.”</p><p> </p><p>      The way Tatiana phrased her reply stung ever so slightly to Eve, but she understood what her boss meant.</p><p> </p><p>      “I thought I was pretty clear all of the time. In any case, I was just thinking that perhaps it would do some good to give the words he said some thought.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>      Tatiana hummed  and shot her a smirk before picking up her mug again and stirring her coffee while she spoke. “Oh yes, give the one who’s caused you such pain and trauma more thought than you already have simply because he just waltzed back in briefly, made a fool out of you and then filled your head with a half-assed apology and now you think he’s given you some sort of epiphany. Do you not go through this cycle every other month?”</p><p> </p><p>      Eve frowned, but couldn’t deny anything Tatiana had said. She was quiet for a moment before turning to look at Tatiana. </p><p> </p><p>      “I wouldn’t expect you to understand by this point.” Eve shot back with more of a pretentious bite than needed, much to Tatiana’s disdain. The CEO clicked her tongue and frowned.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>      “All I’m trying to say is I don’t want to see you fall back in this cycle. I may never know what exactly happened in Evenfall Gallery that day, but...you’ve been off since.” She concluded with a shrug, already knowing these words wouldn’t land the way she intended.</p><p> </p><p>      Eve rolled her eyes and stood up. “Tatiana please. Look around, <em> none </em> of us are the same! We’ve got two new districts in the works, the city is so much more lively, and demand for entertainment is higher than ever! I wouldn’t expect you to understand my artistic intricacies anymore, because no one in this godforsaken city does, but heavens, you are not that dense! Not all of us are machines like 1010 who can just mindlessly take orders!” Eve’s voice was rising as she began to pace around Tatiana’s office. Tatiana stood as well and began to approach her after sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. </p><p>      “Oh for the love of…. Eve, no one is trying to work you like a mindless machine. It’s a difficult adjustment period for everyone. This is a situation we must weather however, for the greater good of the city. You just need to have a logical, clear mind-”</p><p> </p><p>      “There you go, again! Why is it that <em> I’m </em> the one who always has the muddled mentality here? Do you truly think that little of me, that I am merely just your puppet? Parade me around for press conferences and meetings like I’m just...just another one of your projects?!” Her emotions were coming to a boiling point, Tatiana scoffing at Eve’s accusations only made things worse.</p><p> </p><p>      “Oh, that is rich coming from you of all people, <em> Nadia- </em> ”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>      “<em> Don’t </em>call me that.”</p><p> </p><p>      “Riiight...But it is. You, the diva who cares the world about people. Who wishes to be accepted and adored. You, who also holds this big fault in that brain of yours where you think someone else can be your next big ‘art piece’. Have you ever taken the time to look at yourself and perhaps understand that you are to blame for why he left? Hmm? Did it ever cross your mind?”</p><p> </p><p>       Eve halted her movement and walked right up to Tatiana, glaring past those tiny glasses of her. </p><p>      “How on Earth could I possibly even have time to process anything when I’m always on display for others’ amusement?” She said through gritted teeth. Tatiana, unphased, just shook her head.</p><p> </p><p>      “See Eve? That right there is your problem. If you want to have this conversation then so be it, but you cannot deflect everything as if you are free from fault.”</p><p> </p><p>      “I’m not trying to deflect, you’re the one who’s making me out to be some kind of awful being incapable of understanding.” The diva stepped back from the CEO and awaited a response, feeling herself well up with anger and agony. </p><p> </p><p>      Tatiana sighed in frustration.</p><p> </p><p>      “There’s no reasoning with you, it’s like fighting with a child. Such immense talent trapped within this fragile unpredictable mess of theatrics and-”</p><p> </p><p>      It reached a boiling point.</p><p> </p><p>      “I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!!” A shout cut off the boss mid-sentence. A diva shaking with pent up emotions and not wanting to be grilled by someone she trusted so dearly as she cast her gaze downward, hands balled into fists.</p><p> </p><p>      “Eve…?” Tatiana looked at her, mildly surprised. It wasn’t uncommon for Eve to be so...passionate when speaking but she hardly ever heard Eve genuinely yell at her.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>      “You heard me! I cannot do this anymore. I… I need a break. From you, from NSR. From...from myself! From… from everything. I-I think I really, truly need this.”</p><p>Eve now had her arms hugging herself tightly, refusing to meet the pair of eyes that was trying to gauge her. It was a feeling she knew all too well from so many, both familiar and stranger alike.</p><p> </p><p>      “A-always having words put in my mouth, always having someone decide how I’m feeling, someone always blowing off my genuine thoughts. ...I expect that from the crowds, but not you, Tati…”</p><p> </p><p>The way Eve’s voice cracked at the end struck a nerve within Tatiana and she felt guilty from how harsh she was being. She had started monologuing to her own right hand, never having the patience to endure childish antics, but it was clear Eve was trying her best to make herself understood and it was all taken out of context and torn to shreds by Tatiana herself.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>      “Eve...how long have you been thinking about this?”</p><p> </p><p>      “Oh what does it matter, Tatiana! It’s not like any of you would understand! I’m the eccentric one, the one who’s always in her own world. You think I didn’t read what that creep said about me in his notes? “She is without a doubt the most dangerous artist of NSR.” Eve looked up in disbelief and laughed to herself softly. “Dangerous...Like i’m some kind of animal.”</p><p> </p><p>      “The eccentric diva loses herself again! NSR’s top artist continues to show how unstable she truly is!” She mocked herself and spread her hand in the air as if to mimic a headline across a billboard. “I think it’s best if I disappear for awhile.” </p><p>The flip flopping between moods was something she had developed over time, and it's not one of the things she was proud of, but she couldn’t help it. When they reached their peak, Eve was just as helpless as the next bystander witness to her spirals. Intrusive thoughts swirled within her head, weaving their webs of lies and deceit till she couldn’t take it anymore and held her head in an attempt to ground herself. Despite this she began mumbling to herself a string of apologies and worries.</p><p> </p><p>      “Hey shh shhhh. Listen none of their words matter. It’s lonely at the top I know, people start treating you a certain way, they develop this idea of you and refuse to look at the real you.” Eve swatted away the hand that reached out to touch her shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>      “Don’t lecture me, please. ...To answer your question, it’s been on my mind for about a month now. I just wasn’t sure how to approach you.” Eve answered after a moment, again refusing to meet the now hurt eyes staring at her. She didn’t want to see the look on her boss, no, her closest confidant’s face. </p><p> </p><p>      The two stayed like this in silence for a moment while Tatiana thought. Eve, after some time, finally decided to face her, grateful to have caught her in a moment and not intensely watching her.</p><p> </p><p>      “I’m sorry Tatiana.. I’m...not like you. Or, any of you all in NSR really.”</p><p> </p><p>      “Eve that doesn’t matter, that’s actually one of the beautiful things about NSR, you all are so vastly different from each other, but can come together to get things done in a neat and orderly fashion.” Tatiana replied, trying to console the artist.</p><p> </p><p>      The diva shook her head. “Tati please… I’m only respected because I am seen as like your guard dog. This...this wild and deranged animal that is the final stop before someone tries to get to you. There are things I must find answers to. Perhaps there was more that I was wrong about...Perhaps there is some truth in his words.”</p><p>      Tatiana tried to interject again and Eve held up a hand to silence her.</p><p>      “Please. ..I wish I was like you, but...I’m not. I need to understand some things for myself. Because right now...I don’t know why I even perform. And you don’t need an artist like that. So-” Eve paused and sighed. </p><p>      “I wish to go on an extended leave from NSR for my own reflections and well being.” She couldn’t have been more firm in her words and Tatiana knew it. No more second guessing. No pretending. Just a genuine request. And though it pained her, she knew Eve deserved it. For everything this woman has endured and not having a single moment to just slip through the cracks, Tatiana knew it would not be wise to essentially trap her once more. So with a heavy sigh she spoke.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>      “I’ll make sure the press is unaware when you slip out. Should you need anything or feel you are ready to return, you know you are always welcome in NSR, Eve.” Tatiana relented. She wasn’t free from fault either, and there was much she knew she had to try and make amends for when it concerned Eve. The last thing she wanted was for Eve to feel trapped any longer.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>      The diva relaxed her shoulders and nodded.</p><p> </p><p>      “That is all then. I must head to Evenfall Gallery before I set out.”</p><p> </p><p>      “Right. ..I hope you find what you’re searching for.” </p><p>      As Eve turned away from Tatiana to leave she was suddenly halted, embraced from behind by Tatiana.</p><p>      “And please be careful, remember that you are worthy of happiness, Eve. You are a good person and incredibly talented artist. Never forget that, no matter what anyone says to you.” Tatiana whispered these last words that hinted at something more but she said nothing else before releasing Eve who simply nodded and continued walking away. It would be some time before NSR would have its iconic diva return. The Ceo stood in the center of her office, doors closing after Eve and with it a new chapter was just beginning.</p><p> </p><p>      “Not a moment to waste, there’s work to be done.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chipping the Paint</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eve puts into action her plan to take her hiatus form NSR, seeking out a suitable candidate to fill in while she's gone. When the formal announcement airs, it sends a shockwave through the city, reaching as far as the outskirts and all the way to a certain duo who would be shaken by the news. Just what is she thinking?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Like I said, chapter 2 is getting things in motion! I hope you enjoy! Chapter 3 may take me a little longer so I hope this one's length is enough to keep you engaged!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>      Upon arrival back in Dream Fever, it would appear as if nothing had changed. Everyone was milling around engaging in their own artistic endeavors or viewing the various pieces that were strewn throughout the district in attempts to decipher Eve’s grand message. Naturally, Eve would be amongst her own work in her gallery, rearranging her pieces, setting up a display while some of her finest colleagues would be re-aligning everything to design. She’d end up adjusting things later to truly make the vision come alive, but for now everyone was minding their own business and this gave her time to be in her thoughts once more. Without Tatiana to set her off, be it intentionally or unintentionally. This was one moment where Eve was grateful she had learned over the years of being in NSR how to mask her true emotions. In her case, she usually ended up looking rather devoid of all traces of emotion, which people took to being just her default since she did it so often. Among her art however, individuals would sometimes be privileged to catch a glimpse through the cracks, see what lies beyond the mirror they gazed upon. Today however, she was much too focused to pay anyone else any mind. Like most cases, when she was perplexed she would thrust herself into her work much more rigorously. Today was set to be the start of another exhibit, its opening to the public a few days out, and Eve was anything but sloppy when it came to her presentations. Clean cut and meticulous, every single placement, turn, swivel, every nail hung, every portrait arranged. All of it had purpose. While she got to work doing one of the things she did best, more thoughts crossed through her mind, now adding in her takeaway from her and Tatiana’s discussion prior.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> It is not that I’m surprised by the result, I was almost certain she’d let me go...but more of the fact that I didn’t even realize I was using the same words Zuke had spoken to me.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “I’m not like you..I wish I was, but I am not..” Did he not use the same words on me back then? Despite what she thinks on the matter, does this not only serve to further prove my point? She didn’t react the way that I did of course, and my delivery was much different.  …This is not like other times. Winds of change are flowing through this city, am I to be a part of it? Or am I supposed to stand firm despite stagnation? I...I don’t know and… I won’t know unless I discover the answer for myself. But...is there anyone I can trust while I step away? Hardly...wait a minute, perhaps she will do. Yes..yes she will actually, I’m positive she’s around here somewhere too, just follow what was it again. ...butterflies!  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>      The artist finished hanging the last of her hanging sculpture array and carefully stepped down from the ladder giving the display a final glance of approval before taking off to look through the gallery, her platform echoing down the halls. The people she passed by knew that determined look on her face all too well and made sure to stay out of her path. Newer artists tended to feel intimidated not just by her reputation, but by her sheer presence itself, the older ones were used to it by now and gently showed them a run down of Eve’s antics when it concerned actually being a part of her gallery versus being an attendee. As she looked through the rooms, she knew she caught bystanders off guard, but she was determined on seeing this plan come to fruition. It was perfect honestly, no one would question her choice. Some might even praise her for what she was going to do. </p><p>      Entering the skylight room of her gallery she found her, a small artist in a wheelchair hanging a stained glass sculpture on a lamp post in the room already filled with wondrous stained glass pieces and paintings, arranged in a way where the viewer was guided easily into a realm of whimsical enchantment. Eve aptly referred to this room as “The Butterfly Room” due to the exhibit that was added recently by this artist. The woman in question was wearing a black dress filled with butterflies and flowers of all colors. Her hair was tied back into two drilled ponytails. Her skin was a darker tan color which only served to make the bright colors she accented herself with pop more so. Her name? Marie Lantana, a 23 year old artist living in Dream Fever after having graduated from the same prestigious art college that Eve herself attended. Grateful to have been remembered by Eve for her art and not by the accident that took her legs, Marie truly was an upcoming artist rising through the ranks on her own talent. Though not on Eve's own level of perception, Marie had gotten very close in recent years, to the point where Eve could no longer not keep her name and face in mind when expressing to others the artists she held a deep respect for. Still, it was rare for Eve to seek anyone out specifically, explaining the shock on the artist’s face when she made her grand entrance through the exhibit.</p><p> </p><p>      A sense of panic ran through Marie’s body and she was certain if she had her legs her knees would have buckled. Instead, she got the courage to face her idol and smiled as she moved away from her piece to allow Eve to take it all in without distraction. It was her first formal exhibit in Evenfall Gallery and she had been working on this for the past year, it was only natural she was nervous to go under critique by the owner herself. She thought of speaking, but Eve slowed her stride to properly take in the exhibit thus far, a small smile creeping onto her face as she looked at the mix of glass being shone upon from rays casting down from above as well as intimate lighting that adorned the walls where her paintings hung, each one coming together to make an outline of a Mother Tree, and Marie stayed silent, watching before Eve spoke.</p><p> </p><p>      “This is coming along, I honestly wasn’t sure how you were going to arrange all of your glass pieces so as to not overwhelm your viewers, but….I must say Marie it’s truly a reflection of you as an artist. The way the light catches your glass work and fragments off into different directions and various colors, you even took in the notion to arrange this one specific piece so that when the light catches it just right, your paintings are also lit up with warm inviting rays as the shadows cast amongst the rest of this room only amplify your message, forcing your audience to truly stop and feel something for a moment. Like a window straight to the soul does your art ever get its message across.” The diva had come full circle in the room and stopped in front of the artist, placing her hand on her hip as she looked down to the artist and smiled before giving her final verdict, the thing she knew, of course, that the artist was waiting in suspense for.</p><p> </p><p>      “Anyone with a kind heart and open mind who steps foot in this room will not only be able to get a great sense of you as a person, but also be transported into this whimsical oasis you have woven with your art. It is not often I see someone who so confidently wears their heart on their sleeve for the world to see. ...Your resolve and strength is equal to your level of talent, Marie. I am glad to have been able to see you elevate yourself through these past years.” </p><p> </p><p>      The immense shock and joy read on the artist's face and she had to shake her head to bring herself back to reality to answer.</p><p>      “Ah! I- Um...Well...I just-” Unfortunately Marie could only string along a list of stammers and stutters before finally settling on a ‘thank you’ she managed to squeak out. Marie felt very small in her chair, especially considering how the diva towered over everyone normally let alone when someone was sitting next to her, but the critique was greatly appreciated.</p><p> </p><p>      The diva chuckled at her response and chose not to make her feel more on the post than she already needed her to be. “It's only the truth, Marie. Both in your art and your musical endeavors.” Eve was delicately touching one of the hanging butterflies as she spoke.</p><p> </p><p>      “Which brings me to my sole purpose here at this moment, as you know I typically do not like to interrupt the artistic process for those setting up displays amongst my own in the gallery. I do my best to give you all the respect you deserve. However, forgive me but there is something of importance I wish to speak with you about.” </p><p> </p><p>      Marie smiled happily until hearing her idol’s mention of a request and she tilted her head, highly intrigued in just what Eve was going to ask her,</p><p> </p><p>      “Y-you flatter me greatly. ..thank you, truly. I am just about finished here, well, for the part that I can do at least, haha. I was just going to come back later and have my friends help me move in and hang my last canvas for me. We are welcome to chat.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>      “Most excellent! Follow me back to my office please so that we may speak in private.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>      “Filling in for you?! W-w-wait just a minute Eve, you can’t be certain! I-i’m nowhere near the level of artist you are, both music and in fashion, and th-then there’s the notion of ” Marie was taken aback by the idol’s request to which Eve just held up a hand to halt the worries as Marie trailed off before Eve spoke up.</p><p> </p><p>      “Marie trust me, I think you are the best fit for exactly this purpose. I have my own reasons for stepping down which I will not disclose as of yet. Furthermore, it will still be a few days before I officially go on leave,” Eve began as she looked up in thought. Marie was still reeling from shock while Eve hummed to herself before closing her eyes and nodding.</p><p> </p><p>      “Yes….yes I think that will work <em> excellently </em>. It’s perfect really.” </p><p> </p><p>      “Um..what is?”</p><p> </p><p>      Eve opened her eyes, smiled and spread her arms out as if to present her idea.</p><p> </p><p>      “Isn’t it obvious, Marie? The new exhibit grand opening is at the end of this week, wouldn’t you agree that would be the perfect time to announce my hiatus and the temporary change of charter? Of course I would have to check with Tatiana about this notion, given we’ve never forgone an audition for a new artist before however since it is <em> temporary </em> I’m sure she may be more reasonable. However seeing as how it would be your first full exhibit in Evenfall Gallery, it would look like this was already all planned out, don’t you think? I couldn’t think of a smoother transition, as if the cards fell perfectly into place without either of us knowing!”</p><p> </p><p>      Clearly Eve was more thrilled about this situation than Marie, but even the younger artist had to agree.</p><p> </p><p>      “Well...I suppose it does work out well for all parties involved. Though I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious as to why you would be stepping down and even more so that you are entrusting me with making sure Dream Fever keeps it’s lights on and does not fall into disarray or obscurity in your absence.” Marie agreed though she broke from Eve’s gaze and looked down, gripping the skirt of her dress in an anxious manner. The diva took note and raised an eyebrow, taking partial offense which reflected in her tone of voice.</p><p> </p><p>      “You seem...bothered. I would have thought you would have been overjoyed at this chance…” </p><p> </p><p>      “It’s not that I promise!” Marie quickly assured, hesitant to keep speaking.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>      “Then…?”</p><p> </p><p>      The younger artist sighed and nervously played with a piece of her hair “Um...Well... I mean look at me. Truly look at me, Eve. ...who out there would believe that someone like you would be entrusting someone like me with such an important role?” Marie said quite seriously, still not wanting to face her idol.</p><p> </p><p>      At this Eve’s expression softened. </p><p> </p><p>      “Marie...the accident happened years ago and you’ve been carrying yourself so well, just look at your work! It speaks for itself!” Her words only made Marie more nervous<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>      “...I…I somehow doubt the public would be caring much about my work versus the look of their interim charter artist. Surely you can understand that. I-i mean I believe wholeheartedly in myself as an artist in every sense of the word and I am flattered beyond measure to have received such praise from someone I have looked up to for most of my career…”</p><p> </p><p>      “...However the world can be cruel, no?”  Eve already knew the answer before Marie could finish. She only nodded and Eve shook her head.</p><p> </p><p>      “Marie, the general population does lack the perception to appreciate half of these works in this building, yes. Which is also a factor that can be applied to yourself. You don’t need someone to understand you in order to flourish. Especially for these...these pedestrians fools mindlessly being led by their own hive mind trends. You are much better than that.”  The delivery of Eve’s words hinted at something  not just meant for Marie, but if the younger artist caught it was unknown. </p><p> </p><p>      “Let me just say that joining NSR gave me freedom to decide how I wanted to express myself. Sure the public still is able to interpret but <em> I </em>was in control of how I am perceived. I alone decide just how much I want to let on or if i want to mask it all behind this image, from name to display, my entire body is my canvas now. That in itself was an incredible power.”</p><p> </p><p>      Marie’s eyes lit up some more as Eve spoke.</p><p> </p><p>      “Wow NSR really helped you out that much? You’ve been such a huge inspiration to me for so long, even back in college!” She exclaimed before catching herself and pausing in thought.</p><p> </p><p>      “But...Have you ever felt like, because you made it to the top for so long, that you’ve become disconnected with yourself? And this image you speak of, is it ever scary that you one day might lose yourself to the image you created and lose your very reason why you began doing what you do in the first place? ...I-i’m sorry I keep asking questions, this is just..such a big honor and responsibility. I’m a little scared to be honest.” </p><p>      Eve was beginning to learn just how deep of insight this artist held  and she didn’t even know it. The diva didn’t even hear the last statement due to just how...uncomfortable she was made by her questions.An awkward tension filled the air as Eve tried to gather some sort of response, bothered by the fact that Marie was unaware of just what she was doing, or at least she seemed unaware. It ticked her off truly, but she wasn’t quite sure why. ONe thing was for certain and that's that Eve <em> did not </em> like this feeling whatsoever.</p><p> </p><p>      “..that’s something you will have to see for yourself.” Eve finally said as she stood up from her seat, placing a hand on her hip.</p><p> </p><p>      “You aren’t alone though. You will have my vote of confidence, and in turn the NSR stars will be sure to guide you till you find your pair of wings again and free yourself from the cage of the past. If you choose not to accept my offer, you may never know just how far you can go, what sights you may never bear witness to otherwise. If you are absent from the live broadcast of the exhibit unveiling, I will have my answer. That is all. There are other things I must tend to in the gallery.” Her voice grew more serious than intended but she couldn’t help it. Here in front of her was such an exponentially talented artist who did not see what she was already. Just how greatly she could shine, and it was as if Eve’s words meant nothing. Or..so she thought. She could visibly watch the artist pondering in her wheelchair the options, the pros and cons, and just how grand of an offer this was. The diva tried to be patient, though certain her words were clear, something inside urged her to try harder. Wait longer. Let the words come from the other’s mouth first.</p><p> </p><p>      “..I understand. I… I need time to process,” Marie began before finally looking up at Eve who was still analyzing the artist’s behavior.</p><p> </p><p>      “My exhibit reflects the very colors of my heart, the good and the bad. The fears, the insecurities, but also the good things. I cannot express how overjoyed I am that you were able to capture that message.” Marie said as she lifted the brakes of her chair and got ready to leave. She hesitated one last time, making sure to lock her gaze with Eve’s.</p><p>      “ I will be there. And...I know you won’t tell me, so I’ll offer this in return. Someone once told me if you create from the heart you’ll never lose your way. Once you begin to create for the sake of needing validation and gratification, you start to lose bits and pieces of yourself, trapped within the very things you create. It is for this reason that I’ve made it so far. It is my hope that my exhibit gives others that message as well. I will see you then, Eve.”</p><p> </p><p>      As Marie left her office the diva was once again alone with her thoughts. She pursed her lips and tapped her platform, irritated by the last sentiment given from the younger artist. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I can’t get a good read on that one, but she truly is something special. Still...she is someone I should be careful around. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>      Eve had made her way back downstairs onto the main gallery floor to continue work on arranging displays and making decisions, but she could not shake the feeling Marie’s words had left her with. Like something inside had cracked, but she could not figure out <em> what </em>. Steeling herself once more, Eve chose to focus on getting the gallery prepared.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“...And it is for that reason that I take my formal hiatus from NSR. However! My wonderful fans and adoring friends, I leave you in good capable hands and assure with the utmost of certainty that the alluring lights and pleasant visions that make up our beloved Dream Fever will not be cast into shadow. For the person who will be filling in for me is none other than one of our very own- Miss Marie Lantana! The artist responsible for the mural displayed on Evenfall Gallery and the lovely exhibit I have gotten to see firsthand that you all are here for today- A Butterfly’s Heart! Not only that, Miss Lantana is one of the top indie edm artists we have with her unique Drum n Bass sounds mixing with a light show to catch your attention and keep you captivated and wanting more night after night! Without further ado, Marie Lantana everyone!”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>      Zuke nearly spit out the soda he was drinking, not expecting to hear the words come out of Eve’s mouth from his tv. Just as he was gonna yell for Mayday, she kicked open her bedroom door, holding out her phone.</p><p> </p><p>      “EVE IS STEPPING DOWN FROM NSR????”</p><p> </p><p>      They both cried out in disbelief simultaneously, startling Ellie, their pet alligator.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>      “But..why?”</p><p>      “I don’t know man! Wasn’t she like the first artist to join NSR though? Why would she of all people step down?” Mayday asked as she continued watching the live stream from the TV now in the living area. She plopped down next to Zuke on their couch who immediately went into thought. </p><p>      “It’s so weird, and yeah you’re right May, she was the first. Hmm.” </p><p> </p><p>      “Did she mention anything? Not that I’d like, y'know expect her to reach out to either of us after what we did but...I’d hate to think we’re the reason why she would choose this you know?”</p><p> </p><p>      Zuke shook his head. “Nah, you have a point. And knowing her the thought may have crossed her mind, but I think this runs deeper than just our battle a few months prior. Something must have happened.” He replied, watching the screen again to see the artist who would be replacing her. </p><p> </p><p>      Mayday frowned. “You know, she may have said all that mean stuff about me back there, but I feel for her. I mean, I guess it’s pretty easy to lose yourself on the rise to stardom, myself as an example, and she’s been at the top for quite some time...Maybe, this has something to do with that? You’d probably know more than I would though, you do know her the best.” </p><p>      As usual, Mayday was quick to be concerned, especially considering the events that happened not too long ago and the trouble Bunk Bed Junction stirred up thanks to her. Zuke was quiet for a bit, his brows still furrowed in thought as he resumed his thinker pose. </p><p> </p><p>      “I mean...I can take a few guesses but, that was the first time I’ve really talked to her in years, May. Like I said and I mean you saw, we didn’t leave on good terms. Sure we reconciled, but..I don’t wanna be the one to bother her anymore. I’ve already caused enough pain to her, and it’s clear she’s going through things right now.” He replied with a shrug.</p><p>      “If I still know her the way I think I do though, she’ll reach out if she does need something. ...Maybe, I’m sure there’s someone else she would rather speak to.”</p><p> </p><p>      Mayday punched his arm and pouted. “Oi! Wasn’t her main concern being that no one understood her? I may have missed out on all the artsy mumbo jumbo you guys were spewing back and forth but even I caught that message! Maybe it’s not so far-fetched that she would reach out. You think she still has your number.”</p><p> </p><p>      Zuke rubbed his arm and sighed. “Oi May, I mean...I guess? How am I supposed to answer that? Also, what am I supposed to <em> do </em> exactly? It’s not like we’re friends, and we haven’t been an item in years, I said my peace, she said hers and we agreed to disagree. I’m probably the <em> last </em> person in this city she wants to talk to.”</p><p> </p><p>      Mayday groaned and rolled her eyes. “Vinyl City’s music man is also quite the dunce eh? You call what happened back there agreeing to disagree? The words you told her, the way you <em> said </em> them, the way that despite how she was lashing out and almost beat our butts, you <em> still </em> chose to go calm her down? Uh-huh, you can play dumb elsewhere, but I’d hope if that were me, someone who knew me best would reach out. No one’s saying you have to be chummy again, it’s just a check in.” Mayday said as she hopped off the couch. “Don’t repeat the same bull you pulled with your bro, Zuke. This is one that I can’t decide for you, but Vinyl City’s top star just announced a hiatus out of nowhere, someone who obviously was a good chunk of your life did a serious out of character move here and you’re tellin me you can’t be bothered to at least see what’s up or if they’re ok? Pretty bonkers if you ask me. Pretty. Bonkers.” The guitarist concluded with throwing her hands to the air before grabbing her guitar and heading out.</p><p>      “I’ll be upstairs practicin’. Come by when you’ve got ya head screwed back on.”</p><p> </p><p>      Left by himself Zuke let out a tired sigh and shook his head, watching the fanfare on the tv. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Why would she do this? She’s never one to just do something at surface level. Eve, what are you planning? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>      He eyed his phone, contemplated, went over the thought more and more, thought of every possible outcome and yet, he still chose to stand by his word and wait.</p><p> </p><p>      “If she truly gets to that point, she’ll reach out. She always does.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Breaking the Foundation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>As word spreads of Eve's Hiatus, things are heated in the NSR Megastar meeting. Eve's forced to reveal her true intentions to her colleagues and perhaps she's finally starting to let other's words sink in and not cast those who care about her away. Perhaps. <br/>A wave of unease sweeps through Vinyl City as the news travels reaching as far out as Festival Plaza. Everyone wants to know- Why Eve?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hey i did NOT expect to write as much as I did for this chapter, I apologize for the wait! Do expect them to be like once a week uploads as I have a fulltime job and I'm actively working on art and cosplay as well. Don't expect them all to be this long, but I try to average around 7-9 pages in google docs. This one happened to be 14 pages @.@ So please, enjoy</p><p>If you'd like to keep with all the things I do I am most readily active on my twitter and then insta, both @merluvli !</p><p>This chapter marks the beginning of the split between Marie's story and Eve's story so next week we will *hopefully* have 2 chapters going up! Marie's story will be a standalone in the series once you have read through Chapter 3 of Fragmented Reflections, while Eve's story will continue in Fragmented Reflections! I do hope you enjoy both once things get going!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>      Back in Dream Fever, Marie was still running on adrenaline from the end of the press conference even though Eve had assured her she said all the right things. As owner of Evenfall Gallery, Eve was sticking around through the grand opening of the exhibit until both her and Mari could make their exit without it being questionable as to where they both were headed. Tatiana had called Eve earlier in the day simply to request Eve’s presence at the meeting she would be holding with the other NSR megastars that day. Eve figured as much would be the case- it is not like she was going to have Marie fend for herself in a room of people sizing her up- and she agreed to the CEO’s request. Marie as well as the other artists in the gallery were receiving their deserved fanfare and Eve was getting her congratulations on yet another successful exhibit. She’d be awaiting the reviews in the coming days as per usual to get a good sense if anyone else out there has been enlightened or if there was another person out there with the keen eye and perceptive insight she possessed. Regardless, this was a moment for them both to enjoy and so they would be here till most of the crowd dispersed, the ones who got their signatures and photo-ops with the NSR star as well as those taking special note of Marie after the diva’s glowing review of her in the press conference. Once it seemed like the majority had their fill, the two women set out for the giant tower that loomed in the distance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Oh and don’t mind the DJ too much, Supernova’s ego is as large as his stature. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do </span>
  </em>
  <span> mind Neon J, I’m sure you’re aware that he is a war vet. He’s very...fond of telling stories. Bless his heart I don’t have it in me to tell him I struggle to stay awake during half of them. Also if you were expecting this to be your chance to meet his...eccentric boy band, let it be known now 1010 is almost hardly ever present for these meetings since Neon J is the one that oversees them anyway. Oh and then there’s the lovely Yinu and her mother of course. It’s wonderful to see a mother as caring as she is doing all she can to ensure Yinu’s happiness and success. Truly, you’d most likely learn a thing or two from her for your own path-” Eve paused as they entered the elevator and took it straight to Tatiana’s office. Marie was trying as best she could to make a mental note of everything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>      “Team SAYU are the easiest to understand, until they get into more complex and specific talk about mods and upgrades for SAYU herself. Annnd… Well I suppose that brings us to Tatiana herself. She is quite the intimidating woman, but she does mean well. Her ideas are sound, well thought out and her goals are clear. Please do not fret too much should she say something unfavorable in regards to you. As an artist, you are no stranger to critiques. This is no different, and any knowledge she gives out can only be of good use.” The elevator doors opened and both women entered the hallway leading to Tatiana’s office. Voices could be heard from the room that awaited them at the end of the hallway, filled with posters, awards, and various memorabilia lining the walls. Marie admired the collection of work, her movement slowing ever so slightly as she briskly read of captions on the faceplates of each nostalgic piece of lore of their city’s past. Despite the change up in, or rather, </span><em><span>proposed</span></em><span> change ups taking place in NSR, it was still a sight to behold, not many people got to set foot inside the tower, let alone see Tatiana’s office. As Eve droned on, Marie fell behind, trying to relish in this moment unsure of when she may get this chance again. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span> <span>Eve was just about to open Tatiana’s office doors when she looked down to her side and realized Marie was not with her. She looked to her other side before looking over her shoulder and spotting the artists sitting in front of one of Tatiana’s awards. She cleared her throat to catch the woman’s attention and motioned her head in the direction of Tatiana’s door.</span><span><br/><br/></span></p><p>
  <span>      “Come now Marie, we don’t want to keep them waiting.” She spoke softly, </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Marie snapped out of her thoughts and looked over to Eve. “Ah, I’ll be right there!” She whispered. The voices grew louder as Marie made her way down the hall. It sounded like they were going at it behind the closed door, but Eve seemed unbothered. Once the younger artist had joined her, they walked through. All talking had stopped as several sets of eyes first landed Eve, then focused on Marie. Tatiana was the first to break the silence, halting the other artists from speaking any further.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Ah you two, what perfect timing. Please, come take a seat.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Eve had already moved to join her boss at her right side as Tatiana spoke, quite used to the environment. Marie did her best to keep her nerves at bay as she strolled up to the long meeting table and picked an empty place next to Eve, taking note of the way the other NSR stars watched her. Eve placed a hand on Marie’s shoulder reassuringly. It was only then that Marie exhaled, slightly more at ease as Eve sat down. She looked around the table and saw starting from her left, in order, were Neon J, Yinu, her mother, Team SAYU, and DJ Subatomic Supernova all of whom were watching her with a mixture of curiosity and judgement. Tatiana cleared her throat and they focused back on the CEO.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Good, now that we are all here we can move along to the next agenda then. How was the gallery opening by the way? It appeared you had a good sized crowd judging from the press conference.”</span>
</p><p><span>      The tension that filled the air dissipated briefly as Eve began to speak up.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span> <span>“It was the biggest one yet, though I will attribute some of that of course to my announcement. Which,” She paused and looked to her fellow peers who met her gaze with mixed emotions, mostly confusion, some rather upset at having learned this way about her plan. </span><span><br/></span> <span>“...I assume is what you all would rather I talk about versus the success and applause my fellow colleague and I were met with today. Let's be honest here as not to waste time.” The tension immediately returned with Eve’s opening statement, the diva fully expecting it to be like this.</span><span><br/><br/></span></p><p> </p><p><span>      “Well, it would have been nice to have learned of this </span><em><span>before</span></em><span> you decided to take it upon yourself to make a decision that would not just affect you. Some of us weren’t even aware of this woman’s existence let alone be able to gauge her talent.”</span><span><br/></span> <span>Eve rolled her eyes as she crossed her legs, brushing off the remark from the DJ.</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Well if you had paid attention, I actually have spoken about Marie in a meeting before. Actually, quite a few times back when we were discussing individuals from each of our districts when trying to come up with a solution for our power situation. I know your mind is enormous, but that pompous ego of yours continues to be a hindrance, DJ Subatomic Supernova.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      The DJ scoffed at the blatant disrespect, but Neon J nodded.</span>
</p><p><span><br/></span> <span>“Its true, Eve has brought up Miss Lantana a couple of times before when noting citizens with talent above the rest in our respective districts. That, however, is not why I’m upset. This feels like you blindsided all of us, turned your back on us even! Imagine how the rest of the populace is feeling right now. Betrayed by their number one artist. There was no preparation, no planning. It’s like you did this completely on a whim and just swooped up Marie simply because she was there! We’re your allies, don’t you think it would have been nice to have let us know so we could decide collectively how to proceed?” The admiral was the next to voice his concerns, using hand gestures and pointing at Marie to further emphasize his point.</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “What happens to Dream Fever is of no one’s concern outside of my own and Tatiana is the only one I should have to answer to on this subject. Why should you all be bothered with this? I thought I would be doing you a favor by coming up with my own solution.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      The disconnect she usually felt with others was beginning to show once more. Eve expected them to be shocked of course, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>betrayed?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Did Neon J truly feel that way? Eve couldn’t understand why as Neon J spoke up again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Eve that’s not fair and you know it! Why would you do something like this? Do you not understand that we all inadvertently affect one another’s lives this late in the game? The people look up to us not only for safety and security in their district’s but also uniting the city. We would have shown up to further solidify that fact. Instead, you’ve caused a wave of unease festering from Dream Fever all the way out to Festival Plaza.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Neon J, I know how busy we all are. It’s not exactly easy to find a spare moment to drag us all to NSR Tower and hash out something I was able to solve on my own! Surely you understand that. Aren’t you exaggerating a bit, sure people watch tv, but typically an art gallery opening is not something many citizens would be watching.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Oh no, Neon J is absolutely correct.” Tatiana interrupted. It appeared as though she was only going to be serving as a referee for this meeting. Eve’s expression twisted to one of confusion and she tilted her head..</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>      “How so? Typically Dream Fever residents don’t particularly mingle well with others that don’t share the same mindset outside of their district. It’s </span><em><span>rare</span></em><span> I hear of any news in the outer districts referring to the gallery outside of blog posts and reviews. The things that usually are all the rage are fashion lines, merch, and concerts in regards to Dream Fever, more specifically myself.” Eve responded after a moment and Tatiana nodded over to Neon J who shook his head.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span> <span>“You’re right in that regard. What you forget is the person you picked over there-” He pointed at Marie who was doing her best to just listen and observe unless they specifically asked her to speak. “-is one of the few that has left a mark on others outside of Dream Fever. So much so that I knew of your surprise press conference before I left the mansion today.”</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “What are you getting at, Neon J?” Eve said in a serious tone to which he chuckled before slamming his hand down on the table and “staring” intensely at the diva, but startling Marie instead, who was now highly curious at what he had to say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Your silly little announcement was immediately streamed thanks to the fact that one of my troops is very keen on that artist of yours. By the time you were done, the entirety of Vinyl City knew.” The admiral relaxed once again and folded his arms across his chest while he continued speaking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “You know how the young people are, with their fandangled technologies and social media. All 1010 had to do was post one message and it would have spread like wildfire anyway, but they </span>
  <em>
    <span>streamed the whole thing</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Something about “live reacting” for one of their hobbies. Anyways, my point is at least one of the boys is fond of Marie enough to watch one of your gallery press conferences.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Marie sat stunned while Eve’s eyebrow twitched and Team SAYU murmured amongst each other before Tila spoke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “It’s um, it’s actually how the rest of us here found out and Tatiana called us all in so we could express our concerns. ..Is everything ok, Eve?” The girl shyly spoke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “I appreciate the concern, but it’s not something you need to worry yourself with, please.” Eve responded, disregarding the concern in her voice. Tila shrank back in her seat slightly before pulling out her phone. Her friends exchanged glances and shrugged, choosing to just listen to what was being said from that point on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Tatiana eyed Eve sternly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Are you sure there is nothing you wish to say?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Tatiana, why should anyone else worry? All that is going to change is the ratings on the charts and how Dream Fever is run, which I wholeheartedly place my faith in Marie for this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Yinu’s mother tsked and shook her head. “Your words are coming from a place of selfishness. Why are you choosing to give us the cold shoulder on this topic, Miss Eve? We’re genuinely worried. No offense to the temporary replacement you have chosen, but we simply do not know her as well as you do. And this..this forgoing of holding a proper audition for her as well, any charter decision has always come from a group decision.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Mama is right! It’s not fair that this lady gets to join us without being properly judged! The rest of us had to go through one!” Yinu added, though it came off as a whine she did make valid points.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “It appears we’re at a standstill and met with even less answers than when we first arrived. Your persistence on staying quiet about your reasons to leave only fill us with more apprehensions, diva.” DJ Subatomic Supernova added in and the rest of the table agreed before continuing to argue back and forth with Eve who was making it glaringly obvious she was not going to budge on this matter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Well I think we’ve wasted enough time haven’t we? Since you refuse to tell them, these people who you’ve been able to trust for years, I will. Now speak now or forever hold your peace, Eve.” Tatiana chimed in and the table once again fell silent, waiting anxiously for Eve’s response. She glared at the CEO who motioned that she had the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Fine.” Eve said through gritted teeth before standing up. Tatiana nodded while the others watched her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Well, since everyone is so...adamant to know my plans,” Eve began and Tatiana nudged her, causing Eve to groan but she started over reluctantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Ok, look I know this isn’t...the best way to have let you all know this. It...is not easy for me to say and I am...not used to opening up on such personal matters to colleagues, even those I’ve known for years. I never wanted to burden you all with my own problems and thought this would be the best solution.” Eve absolutely hated the way she could feel their gazes peering into her very being. Even in a room full of people she could trust she still felt out of place. As if not to get lost in thought, she spoke again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “This has been something I’ve been thinking about...recently. It was never my intention to disrupt the rest of you like this either. I do feel however that Marie will be able to handle this change of hands. If you truly are determined to put her through a proper test, I’m sure she would not object to a private audition. And to answer your accusations, no, this was not something I rashly thought about and put together. Like everything I do, this was handled with the utmost care. However, I’ve realized I have been at this since right after college. There are many things I haven’t been able to fully process from back then and I feel after Bunk Bed Junction’s siege on the city a few months back….I can no longer perform at my best for you all. I would only be dragging us down if I were to continue at this point.” Eve was visibly uncomfortable addressing the group of NSR artists so honestly and even more so when their expressions changed from judgement to one of understanding. She didn’t want their pity. She never wanted them to know. She wasn’t supposed to show weakness or bother them with her problems. Was it truly ok for her to do this?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Wow Eve, I had no idea. You carried yourself so well, I would have never guessed someone of your status would be dealing with an internal struggle.” Another member of Team SAYU spoke up and Eve could only nod. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Well, in all the years I’ve known you all, how often have you actually heard me talk of my private life?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I think therein lies the problem doesn’t it? Regardless, I applaud you for your ability and courage for being able to realize you need to step away from this. Mental fatigue is not something to mess around with, speaking from experience. Your strength knows no bounds. Don’t think of this as a sign of weakness, comrade, think of it as a sign of strength. Openly allowing yourself to be vulnerable like this, it's admirable.”  Neon J spoke up, hoping to make her feel somewhat more comfortable. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I know there is a mansion of distraught troops after hearing the news their number one competitor will be on leave, I do hope you reach out here and there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      A small smile crept on the diva’s face before another spoke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “I agree 1,000 percent with Neon J on the sentiment of mental fatigue. I hope you were not running yourself ragged this entire time. One as smart and strong willed as yourself should know better than to forego your own self care. Alas, even the best of us must be reminded now and then that we are not immune to the wear and tear of daily life.” DJ Subatomic Supernova added to which the group nodded and Eve was taken aback by their supportive responses. Next to speak was Yinu’s mother who offered a warm smile as she placed a hand on Yinu’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “I applaud you for being able to come forward about this and I will be doing my best to assure Yinu that if she ever felt similar that she can always feel comfortable to come forward about this amongst the group. Miss Eve, know that you have my support while you are on leave. Don’t be a stranger, ok? We’ll be missing you until you return.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      It seemed as though everyone was being supportive of Eve’s decision once she was honest to them. Once she was honest with </span>
  <em>
    <span>herself </span>
  </em>
  <span>and dropped the act for her colleagues. Even Marie was giving her a nod of approval but she did not add anything else and Tatianna patted Eve on the back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “We’re not heartless souls you know. Everyone in this room can understand how hard this business is. Thank you for finally being honest with us, Eve.” She began gently before clapping her hands together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Now then, that just leaves the matter of...you. Marie Lantana was it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Marie flinched slightly at being addressed by Tatiana herself and nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Yes mam.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Good good, I apologize you had to sit through that particularly...heated moment, however I wish to welcome you to NSR Tower. Regarding Eve’s impromptu urging of you to be her temporary replacement, I have decided to allow it. On one condition.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Marie’s heart pounded in her chest, and she hoped her voice wasn’t too shaky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “If it's about an audition, I am very willing to demonstrate my talent amongst you all for proper judgement and critique. To prove to you why Eve has chosen me. On this, I will not falter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Tatiana smiled while the other artists talked amongst themselves before DJ spoke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “If I may, I think it might be a good idea for us to also think about reworking the auditions to let fans have more input as well, just to keep whatever bias we may have in check.” </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>      Team SAYU nodded at this statement and Tila spoke up again. “Oh! That's a great idea! We could also each suggest to an artist in our own districts for them to try out and have them compete against each. Like uh, one of those reality tv shows! And scores get calculated partly from judges and partly by fans!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      At this, Yinu smiled and nodded. “Oh that sounds like fun, right mama?” She said happily as she tugged gently on her mother’s dress to which her mother laughed and nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Well if we’re selecting an artist from each of the districts, I could have the boys interview each of them to prevent them from using their fans to swing the votes. You know how they can be of course!” Neon J noted and the others agreed completely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Boys? I thought they were your </span>
  <em>
    <span>troops.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Dj Subatomic Supernova commented to which Neon J was flustered ever so slightly and quickly corrected himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Y-yeah that's what I said, my troops!” The admiral reassured while the rest of the artists laughed. Tatiana allowed them to continue poking fun at each other while she thought about everything they raised in suggestions and then remembered a key detail.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “You all do raise good points, but... We are forgetting a key detail here. And I feel it’s something we must decide on before I adjourn us for today.” The whole table looked up to Tatiana as she continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “If we make Marie participate in a Lights Up Audition to compete against others, Eve is gonna be forced to stay put in Dream Fever until the auditions are over. I’d rather not prolong her hiatus any further than need be, considering she already formally announced her leave as well as give us her reasoning as to why. Perhaps we hold a private audition for Marie in the meantime so Eve can leave and Marie can learn how to properly fill in. What do we think of this notion?” Tatiana concluded and placed her hands behind her back watching her fellow artists contemplate amongst one another.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “I suppose it should be alright since she’s just filling in and Eve will return to her position once back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “And maybe in the time that Eve is gone, one of the other districts will be completed and we can hold a revamped Lights Up Audition like we want to! Then Marie can enter among other selected artists from the districts so it will be fair across the board!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “This would also allow the rest of us to hold our own auditions for an artist that is up to our taste so when we are ready, we don’t have to go through an excess of entries for the Lights Up Audition. Efficiency is key!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Tatiana hummed in amusement as her artists all sounded off on suggestions. It was like watching the pieces of a puzzle come together as they all built off of each others’ input to come up with a good solution.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Very well, I can streamline this into something concrete later. As for the rest of you, you are free to go. Eve, you are free to begin your hiatus once you have prepared a guide for her to follow on the rundown of all that you actually oversee in Dream Fever. Marie, we will be in touch. From this moment forward, you will be treated as an NSR charter artist once we hold a private audition for you. You’ll get a call from me and we can set that up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      It was simple as that. Tatiana gave her orders and the table dispersed, the artists conversing here and there as they exited the CEO’s office, Marie tagging alongside Eve who finally let out a sigh she had been holding in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Sorry you had to sit through that.” Eve said once they were outside of Tatiana’s office as Marie strolled alongside her</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Well it’s not exactly like I can </span>
  <em>
    <span>stand</span>
  </em>
  <span> through anything now can I?” The artists replied jokingly, causing Eve to stifle a laugh. Marie giggled too and was happy Eve visibly relaxed as they entered the elevator with everyone else</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Ah just what have I done? I have roped so many people into this. I just wanted it to be something I dealt with. I hope you can forgive me for the disruptions Marie, I didn’t even think about what you may be up to.” Marie just shook her head at the diva’s worries.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Honestly, the biggest thing I was doing was making sure my pieces were ready for the exhibit. A few commissions I completed this past year actually helped me be set at least for the next few months. I was planning on taking the time to look for somewhere to rent in Dream Fever or Natura. I’ve been in the city for a while because of college, but I’m usually in Festival Plaza staying with my mama.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Festival Plaza? That’s so far from both of those districts! How do you manage to travel so easily, if you don’t mind my bluntness?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Marie looked up to see the other artists once again focusing on her and she smiled and answered Subatomic’s question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Well, Vinyl City is actually quite an accommodating place. It’s been easy to get around. It’s been several years since my accident so living on my own isn’t an issue anymore, I just felt more comfortable in Natura or Dream Fever based on interests and my audience.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      At her response the others nodded. There was a bit of silence before Marie decided to speak up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Um, just out of curiosity, Neon J, right?” She waited for him to confirm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “That is my name, what can I help you with?” The cyborg responded at attention whilst the others held their own small talk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “You mentioned one of your troops followed my work. And by troops, do you mean...1010?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Oh yes! Yes it appears Yellow is very fond of all your work ever since I came home one day and mentioned you after Eve shared with us some pictures of your pieces. Out of the group, Yellow is most crafty. He’s certainly developed an affinity to the arts to some degree. Brings me back to my days before the war, seeing him try to make these tiny little sculptures. Just like how the children would run along the streets and play with the toys I made, ahhh those were wonderful times. But that all changed once I went to war…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      As the cyborg proceeded to go into one of his war stories, the others dispersed once the elevator doors opened. Eve had said before she wasn’t too fond of sticking around for another of Neon J’s long stories so she quickly bid Marie farewell and went back to her district to prepare. Marie didn’t seem to mind and just said she would get in touch later on before following Neon J as he recounted one of his many stories to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Eve unlocked the doors to Evenfall Gallery and climbed the winding steps up to her office, tossing her coat to one of the chairs by her desk. She cracked her knuckles and set to work typing up a detailed list of all of her responsibilities not just for NSR, but for Dream Fever as well. By the end of it she was worn out but there before her was a clean and organized binder of notes on “how to be Eve” essentially and the diva couldn’t help but laugh at that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “<em>How to be Eve?</em> I don’t really know just what that means anymore. What does it mean? Actually…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      As she sat there in her office chair words from her conversations with Marie came up again as well as the things her colleagues had said in the meeting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Everyone’s demeanor changed so quickly. All of a sudden everyone wanted to help, but.. They shouldn’t have to help. It’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>their</span>
  </em>
  <span> problem I’m feeling like this. They seemed so hurt when I tried to get them to understand that. Why? I had thought this was something so clear. That they of all people should understand my feelings on the matter. So why once again was I met with utter confusion until I had to reveal my personal reasons?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Eve leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, pinching the bridge of her nose for a moment while she thought. She shut her eyes as thoughts swirled through her head once more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “...Perhaps… Perhaps they felt this would have been something I should have asked for help with. And then maybe I wouldn’t have had to come to this decision? ...What is it that they wish to do? Oh this is all too much, no one should have to concern themselves with my own actions. I spoke to who I needed to, I reached out. I thought I did everything correctly this time. Why is it that no one else sees that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      She sighed and held her face in her hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Is it me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Tatiana’s words of accusation came to mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “Have you ever taken the time to look at yourself and perhaps understand that you are to blame for why he left?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      The words stung as much as they had earlier in the week and Eve wanted to shake the feeling away. It was as if they pierced straight through her heart.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “...I never did take the time to look at myself after college. I was so busy. And then I joined NSR and I was even more busy. How was I supposed to take a look at myself?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      She fell quiet again and let her hands fall to her sides.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Myself. This unease I feel around others. This...unsettling feeling I have. I am always in conversation trying to make myself clear to others. Do I make sense to me, or do I make sense to “Eve”? Again...just what did that title mean? Do I remember at this point?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      The ratio of questions to answers she had only frustrated her more and she rubbed her temples while she attempted to sort things out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Myself. Not Eve. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Myself.</span>
  </em>
  <span> When was the last time I was allowed- no, the last time </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> allowed myself to be...Nadia? ….Just Nadia? I...don’t know if I remember how to be anyone other than Eve. ...but this is <em>why</em> I’m taking this break, yes? Yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Eve opened her eyes and got to her feet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “My name is Nadia. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>am Nadia.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>      That night Eve gathered what she needed after calling Marie and going over everything. She even left her the key to Evenfall gallery and then...her platinum disc. With the change of hands complete, she left Dream Fever.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p><span>      Back in Festival Plaza, Mayday and Zuke were talking while at Faulks Burgers, Zuke scrolling through his phone for any more news from NSR or anyone in general about Eve while Mayday continued her scolding from earlier.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span> </p><p>
  
  <span>“If you cared, you’d ask. I really don’t get it Zuke, what’s stopping you?” The guitarist muffled over a mouthful of food. The drummer showed no visible reaction as he continued staring at his phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Well for starters I keep telling you she’s obviously thought something out. And again, I’m not gonna reach out on a day where she’s more than likely overwhelmed. Don’t need to do any more damage than we already did.” He said boredly. By this point in the day he was growing tired of Mayday’s persistence in trying to get him to contact his ex. Ever since she saw it on 1010’s live stream this afternoon, she has not stopped pestering him about it. When she went to go play her guitar, the first words out of her mouth was some snarky comment about how he refused to talk to her. When he explained himself, he was met with disgust and disappointment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “You can’t force her to respond, but you can control what you do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “And I’m controlling what I do right now. By staying out of it unless she reaches out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Mayday folded her arms across her chest and pouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “I don’t get why you’re being so stubborn about this. Something is wrong, Zuke.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Zuke finally put his phone down and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance as he shut his eyes before speaking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Look Mayday, you’re exactly right. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>get it. You don’t understand why it feels awkward and unwarranted for me to personally send a message to Eve right now. You do not understand what kind of position that puts her in as well as myself. I do care, I just know this is not the time for me to interrupt whatever thought process she has going on.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Mayday’s expression softened slightly as he continued after opening his eyes. He didn’t meet her gaze, choosing to stare down at the table, his voice much less tense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Look...This isn’t a stab at you, so don’t give me that look. Believe me I want to reach out and ask questions, really just make sure we weren’t the cause of this. We’ve already done enough. Just-” He let out a frustrated sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I’m waiting to see if I can learn anything else, something, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>, before I reach out. Eve usually has methods to what she does. It’s really early for me to even have the slightest notion of what she is doing, May. I know part of why you’re so worked up about this is because you think it's because of what we did. I am too. But we gotta think about this a bit more so we don’t make things worse, ok? No use in beating ourselves up if we don’t even know what's going on, it's only been a few hours.”  He sounded somewhat defeated as he tried to reason with Mayday who was still giving him the stink eye until she finally loosened up.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I mean...I guess so. I just feel so bad, Zuke. And not just like for what we did to Eve, but to the other artists too. And then, Kul Fy-, Tatiana still gave me her guitar. Even after everything! I realize now I was wrong about a lot of things, that it wasn’t so simple as being Rock vs EDM.” May replied, her shoulders drooping before she shook her head and sighed. “Well, it's like you said, Zuke. We can’t worry too much about this just yet I guess.” She concluded before standing up and placing her hands on her hips. “Come on, let's go home!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “I uh- what?” Zuke was confused by how fast she got over that serious moment before shaking his head to snap out of it. In classic Mayday fashion, she was ready to move forward and Zuke almost started laughing at the complete shift she just went through.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Right. Yeah, let's go home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>      Back at home, Mayday decided to chill in their living quarters, lazily scrolling through tv channels whilst Zuke opted to go practice upstairs. Left alone to his own devices he took a seat and began warming up with his drums, loosening up his hands. The rhythms and beats aligned naturally and it was steady enough to allow him to collect his thoughts. The deeper he sunk into them however, the more intense his playing became. The changes in NSR, reflecting on what Bunk Bed Junction did several months ago, and not understanding why her of all people would be the one to step down. Like it was a symbol for something...but what? What was it, and why now? Why would the number one artist of NSR step down?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      All of it. All of it was racing through Zuke’s mind and normally, he would have been fine. Just give it all a rest, go to bed and take it one step at a time, but after being bombarded by questions from Mayday ever since the broadcast and the sudden bomb Eve dropped on the whole of Vinyl City, he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>tired. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tired from the memories, tired from the gigs, tired of the aftermath. He couldn’t fend off his own worries any longer, it’s why he decided to play when he got home. Zuke needed his escape, needed to cool off and clear his mind. As he began to fret, his rhythms became more chaotic, cymbals crashing and snare drums being pounded relentlessly. Yet if someone listened closer, they’d soon hear there was a method to the chaos. And it wasn’t until hours in, shirt long cast off and drenched in sweat that he finally realized it. As he finally started to calm down and take control over the seemingly random sounds, it unveiled itself. Even amidst his confusion at what he was playing. Only one other person he knew possessed a sound like this, a style rather. Something so strong, wild, and relentless. Something so mind opening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Zuke stopped playing and eyed his phone in contemplation once more. He let himself catch his breath and allow his heart rate to slow down as he once again went back to thinking.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>      For the first time in years, Zuke didn’t know what to do.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Prepping the Canvas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eve finds herself in Metro Division, the last place she truly would want to be. Bu perhaps, the district has more to offer to her than she initially thinks.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you all so much for bearing with me, I apologize for my absence on updating this fic but here we are! Another lengthy chapter to make up for the wait! At this time I have chapter 5 outlined as well as Mari's first chapter partially written! We will definitely be needing some happier notes from Mari before I release chapter 5 of Fragmented Reflections. As always, thank you for reading, you can find me on twitter posting all sorts of lovely art and seeing what I'm up to! https://www.twitter.com/merluvli</p><p>Special thanks to Momochi1 on twitter for kindly letting me use their defcon robos in this chapter! They'll be seen more in Mari's story so if you want more, stick around!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>      It had been a month since Eve had ‘left’ Dream Fever as well as any sense of normalcy she had come to know. At least, that's what the residents thought, not seeing her anywhere after the press conference took place. To them, she really had been gone for a month. In reality however, Eve was just that good at hiding out in her district. With all the free time she now accumulated, the diva took to relaxing for a few days inside her home. She turned off her phone and locked it away in a decorative jewel box on her dresser. The temptation was enough, but Eve had deemed it unwise to get sucked into the void that was Vinyl City’s social media, especially considering what she could already guess would be trending. The thought made her roll her eyes and so she took the next two weeks to stay off the grid and indulge in the comforts of her apartment, unbothered, and uninterrupted. She took to finally rearranging that wall fixture she had been meaning to for a couple of years now. Bubble baths? Of course! She even used flower petals for some to add in that extra dose of aromatherapy. An array of window succulents kept her company as she painted a few small things during the day. Yes all of this was just what she needed. Time off and away from everyone and all traces of work. Only focusing on Eve...err Nadia! Yes! What more could there be?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     <strong> …</strong></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      The two weeks came and went and the diva awoke one morning to find herself staring aimlessly at the high vaulted ceiling of her apartment. She felt so...unfulfilled. Had she done something wrong? Was this not what self care and growth was all about? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      <strong>No. </strong></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      The thought made her grimace. For it appeared all of it seemed to make sense at once while she lay there staring at the ceiling feeling as drained as ever.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     <strong> No it wasn’t.</strong></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      She thought about the time she wasted, how she easily bought into the shallow notions and glorified ideals surrounding self care. She thought of the countless artists she heard talk about these wonderful weekends filled with just “me time” and how their lives were absolutely changed by merely reading some jargon filled book or podcast. It all just frustrated her at this point and Eve willed herself to sit up in bed finally.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     <em> Clearly</em>, there was much more to this process. Somewhere inside Eve did know this, she just hoped it would not have been so glaringly true. After those two weeks at home, she really did pack up some items and take off.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>      Which brought her to Metro Division, arguably the </span>
  <em>
    <span>last</span>
  </em>
  <span> place the diva wanted to be. Mostly because Eve felt it stood for everything she was against- shallow tendencies, fleeting experiences, and cheap gimmicks to draw attention and amass the fan base it has for the iconic robot boyband, 1010. Still, she had to give credit where credit was due and applauded Neon J for his clever tactics to rise the ranks on the charts. Nonetheless, Eve was very uncomfortable in this district, but she forced herself to withstand it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      This is not something where I should feel comfortable the entire time. If that was the case, I would have stayed home.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      The metro was bustling as ever, if not even more so due to her hiatus beginning. It didn’t take long at all for 1010 to top the charts, something that has not been done for as long as Eve can remember. However with the change in artists for Dream Fever at the moment, it was bound to happen. Marie would have to climb through the ranks on her. Dream Fever alone was not going to be enough to carry her and Eve knew this. As she mused about the changeups happening across the city, Eve wandered throughout the electric amusement park, looking for something to inspire her. A string of shops with various things on display caught her attention, but for the wrong reasons. Outside one of them were various magazines and tabloids on display racks along with T.V.s in a display case playing ads on loop. Eve watched the screens first and recognized the 1010 tour right away, but she was caught off guard to see on a set of screens next to them a new ad was playing. It was a 2D animated commercial that played music she hadn’t heard from any of the artists before, but it was clear this ad was about Dream Fever. Butterflies filled the screen till they dispersed and revealed a look at Evenfall Gallery. A logo popped up once the camera had panned up to show Vinyl City’s night sky before it cut to a different commercial. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      Tatiana wasted no time at all, I see. I’d expect nothing le-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Eve’s thought was cut short as her eyes landed on the rack of magazines and tabloids, all of which were talking about her disappearance, the tabloids all having some rather...unpleasant words for her amongst their incredulous assumptions. While she wasn’t a stranger to the way certain parts of Vinyl City painted her, it was still pretty jarring to see such media displayed in broad daylight. Eve took a deep breath, collected herself and put the media back before continuing on her stroll. She was aware she stood out for tourists passing by- a tall blond wearing a maxi dress, and an oversized sun hat with matching sunglasses- yes, Eve definitely was aware she stood out like a sore thumb, but she was never one to blend seamlessly into the crowd. Not in recent years of course, or ever actually. If she was being honest with herself, she most likely would not have tried to disguise herself in the slightest, the notion itself seeming absolutely ridiculous to her but also she’s been open about herself for years now, ever since the end of her college years where she finally felt comfortable to start being herself. She felt weird to hide, but the risk of being swarmed in Metro Division by hungry paparazzi was not something she really wanted to deal with. Not when she was here trying to give herself a new perspective and unlearn existing bad habits.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      Bad habits</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Nadia stopped in her tracks and thought. While she had an inkling of a few things she could be doing differently, Eve certainly did not look at herself enough in the past two weeks to come up with some true, deep rooted ideals and mannerisms that she should be taking into consideration. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “It is not as though there is much else for me to do in Metro Division if I don’t know what it is I should be trying to change and seek in the first place. No matter how uncomfortable it may be, I need to strip myself down to the core first before I can proceed.” She mused to herself, shrugging and lifting her hands up with a sigh.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>      <em>“I need a mirror.”</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      No matter how loud her inner voice screamed at her not to, Eve found herself at one of Metro’s fashion boutiques, one that wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> littered with a plethora of people. Here she was, in a dressing room surrounded by a large selection of clothing items she picked out herself- each one different from the last in hopes that immersing herself into Metro Division’s style might help her learn why so many enjoy the place. More importantly, Eve wanted an excuse to tackle reflecting on herself in front of a mirror where she couldn’t be tempted to go hide under the covers or stay locked away in her hotel room. So here she was. Trying on fast fashion fabricated solely to generate sales of 1010 merch and hype. There was even a small hand bag she vaguely remembered being in charge of designing. “No wonder the stitching on this pleather bag is much more quality than whoever else designed these flashy yet cheap carbon copies. Does no one in this city pay attention to the small details anymore? A good foundation is required for all things to flourish. Tch. I mean I can fix these myself if I find them that sentimental later, however…”  Eve shook her head and forced herself to stop her tangent. She looked at herself in the mirror, stripped down to her undergarments. Just focusing on </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eve</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The pink. The white. Her freckles, her green eyes, the blond hair that was shaped to perfection regardless of her having worn a hat for most of her day. Long slender limbs, the curve of her hips. Her height. It shocked her actually that this floor length mirror actually was long enough to fit her entire image in it. Given 1010’s heights however, it made sense she supposed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      Focus Eve.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      This was her, yet she felt no connection to the image that stared back at her. Nothing new for her at this point as she had begun to feel this way for months, years even. Hollow. The longer Eve stared at the emotionless reflection before her, the more her unwavering fears began to seep through until it finally cracked. Eve flinched and listened carefully to see if anyone else had heard the mirror shatter before her or if this was all in her head. What once was a flawless reflection now stared back through distorted fractals. Eve found this much more familiar, perhaps her affinity for abstraction shining through. Like this she was able to properly strip apart her layers, the many facets that made up the Eve everyone knew today. She stood there analyzing, searching. Tilting her head results in several other broken reflections also tilting their heads. Blinking her eyes resulted in a dozen more blinking back. She continued making small movements for a few moments before returning to her neutral position, as if she had somehow come up with what she wanted to focus on most. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “I will...seek to make amends where they are needed. No matter how difficult.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      The mirror flashed pink with her vocal affirmation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “I will reclaim my identity. To remember that which was lost and breathe new life into it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Another flash.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “And I...I will work towards seeing the world in new perspectives. To accept it for what it is rather than trying to force my own ideals onto others. ...It is...scary to think I truly am alone in this world, it has been a fear of mine since college, but...I’m not alone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> am someone, are I not? I must learn to be comfortable standing on my own now. It is time. I am doing this for me, not for anyone else. For Eve, no, for Nadia."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      "For me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Her voice was soft but firm and another brilliant flash came from the mirror. When she could see again, the mirror was back in perfect condition, but the warmth emanating from her reflection was new. She managed to escape her distortion once more and sighed in relief before finally trying on the articles of clothing in the stall with her. Despite initial thoughts, she found herself quite fond of a pair of high waisted shorts with the familiar 1010 light up trim lines on them. The seams still could have been better in her opinion but out of all the pieces she grabbed, she decided she would take them along with a replica captain’s hat, a pair of suspenders, platforms that matched the shorts, and a cropped sweater that had the Balastik Tech logo on it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “I don’t ever remember B-Tech coming out with an actual pleasing design for once and not...whatever they were doing before I graduated from their sister school. Hah, perhaps Arca Vis’ merger with them did those engineers some good.” She laughed softly to herself, admiring the sweater in the mirror. <em>Memories...</em></span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Eve finally emerged from the dressing room, articles in tow as she went to the counter to pay for her things. “You know what, I’d like to take these too.” She said, placing a packaged pair of extra long thigh highs and matching belts on the counter. They had those signature LED lights running down them and Eve figured they would go with the rest of the outfit while she was in the district. Once free from the store she wasted no time going back to her hotel room and changing, trying her best to create a look that would be fitting for Metro Division as well as just taking time to stay out of public for a bit longer. While the diva was not keen on being caught by cameras or swarmed by others at this moment, she knew staying shut up in one place wasn’t doing any good either. The entire situation was not desirable, but she did her best to steel herself, choosing to focus on styling her hair and doing her eye makeup to really make her shine. Channel all her feelings into her craft to make something beautiful from these moments of unease and uncertainty. That was pretty much how she got this far in life, art would always be there as a way to vent, to work through internal struggles, to ease worries. For someone whose veins flowed with creativity in all aspects, Eve was very in tune with her craft as well as knowing how to channel her biggest insecurities into her work. The perks of a city that was tone deaf to her messages in her art was that no one could fully grasp who she really was beyond the thought of “that abstract artist” or “the weird NSR Artist”. Well, except for </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> person...But this wasn’t about them. This was about her. So what she feels now will come to pass as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “At least when nothing else is making sense, art will always shine true.” Eve said to herself as she finished doing the winged eyeliner on her face. She picked up a hairbrush and began the lengthy process of brushing and styling her hair. Nothing fancy, just nice and straight today since she was planning on wearing a different hat later. It was more of the process itself keeping her from dwelling too much on the half of her that screamed so fervently to just run back home. Long, delicate strokes through blond hair kept her grounded in the task at hand. Like brush strokes on a canvas, her hair fell back into the desired place. It had to have taken at least an hour of gentle touches and humming to herself till Eve was satisfied with the result. She exhaled deeply and moved to the next part of her process. Going through the rest of her clothes to see what else she could pair with the outfit she bought today she found some accessories she thought would go well with the ensemble. One large hoop earring for her right ear alongside her signature hand drop earring for the left, a black choker with drop charms on it, and a few rings for good measure. Her saving grace was the material chosen for the shorts was meant to conform to the wearer’s body so she didn’t have to fuss with taking them in like she usually did with most of her other articles of clothing. A battery pack was cleverly sewn into a hidden pocket and once she turned it on the light trim on her shorts glowed with life. The socks she bought had a button on each and once pressed, they too lit up. The streaks down the sleeves of her sweater as well as her platforms lit up as well and she couldn’t help the smile on her face. The true kicker was when all pieces were lit, they synced to the same color pattern.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Not bad, Metro.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      With her canvas complete, Eve sat on the edge of her bed, content with her work. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     <strong> ...</strong></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      She knew what was to come next. All dressed up, now leave the room and walk around the district. Immerse yourself, Eve. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      Immerse.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Eve laid back on the bed and sighed, arms stretched out among the pillows. Maybe she’ll just take a little more time to herself. Maybe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      The alarm on her phone went off and pulled her from further contemplation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      So much for <em>that</em>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Over the course of the month she had slowly begun to use her phone again, not to post anywhere since she was still trying to keep a low profile as best she could, but to see how her artists were doing. She hadn’t called any of them, and she didn’t initially plan to, but something inside of her kept prodding lately. Maybe because she was in Metro Division. Maybe it was the concern Neon J and the others left her with on the day she left Tatiana’s office from that meeting. Maybe because she knew she should at least let someone know where she was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      <strong>Because they cared.</strong></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      I didn’t ask for them to...Why do they care about me?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Begrudgingly so, Eve grabbed her phone, silenced the alarm and went through to her messages- most conversations unopened. It’s not as though she was particularly close to any of them, or at least that's how she viewed her relationship with the other stars. She continued scrolling until coming across the one she had been sucked into by 1010, her personal band of admirers. It wasn’t public knowledge, but for whatever reason, the robotic boy band grew very fond of her over the years and out of all the artists, they would be the ones most hurt she dropped off the map. Eve still found it a bit odd Neon J programmed their A.I. with such a range of emotions and capabilities considering they were walking weapons of war and the captain insisted they were nothing more, but she shrugged it off. She looked at the conversation and was unphased by how many messages were sent from them in succession. All within this past month, she even had one from today sent a few hours ago. All hoping she was doing ok, saying they missed her, saying they were sending their love to her. Typical words. She had grown accustomed to their vocal outpouring of affection over the years and despite their best efforts, she tried not to play into their gimmick. This unfortunately only had an adverse effect and they grew to adore her even more. Like lovesick little puppies, if ever she graced them with her presence they would melt at the first sign of attention from the diva. Eve chuckled to herself, recalling some memories of their shenanigans post Lights Up Auditions. Considering all others she could contact it was either Tatiana, with her tendency to pry far more than Eve cared to share at the moment, or these robots who she found adorable as they were entertaining. All the others she really didn’t talk to much. Even Marie, her replacement, was not high on her contact list, though Eve wondered about Dream Fever in her absence. Before she could even get to the end of her options, her mind already took her back to 1010.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Click!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      She snapped a selfie of her looking coyly at the camera, being sure to show off most of her outfit, added a simple caption of “Hey :)” before sending. It didn’t take long for her phone to go off five times in response, and Eve already anticipated the sheer shock she’d be giving the five robots. She could picture them now, their eyes lit up both figuratively and literally, how they hadn’t hesitated to respond. How they probably were causing a commotion in the mansion, maybe even caught Neon J off guard with their sudden outburst of excitement. When Eve looked at her phone again, naturally there were double the messages, the first wave being of incoherent keyboard smashes and emojis, the next five being ones with actual words such as “Are you in Metro????” and “EVEEEEEE!!!!! :3”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Reading their responses and simple questions made her smile, for once she didn’t have to be so set in an analysis mode. She could just focus on whatever simple pleasures were to be enjoyed amidst 1010.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      …Wait a second </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      That last thought made her stop and stare.  “...Simple pleasures. Simple. Fleeting. Shallow. Pleasures.” Eve spoke to herself, punctuating the last four words for emphasis.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      ...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>     <strong> ...</strong></span>
  <strong>
    <em>A different perspective.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      It was like something shattered inside when the realization dawned on her. Eager to act on this lead, Eve reacted on impulse, able to shove her insecurities and worries aside. Nothing else mattered to her at this moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      What day is it...Ah yes, of course.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      She responded to them simply saying she’d be in the crowd for their concert tonight, and hoped to meet up after. A flurry of messages later that ended up in a voice call of them singing in harmonic bliss “See you then, Miss Eeeeve~” caused her to laugh and she shook her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Oh wait, there’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>one more thing</span>
  </em>
  <span>, do you think you can try calling me Nadia from now on?” She asked sweetly, just for additional effect. They went quiet on the other end for a moment before replying with, “Ok, we’ll call you Nadiaaa~! Like that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      It had been the first time anyone outside of Tatiana or Zuke had used her real name in years. The first time in a while where it was said so nicely, with no hidden emotion behind it. No bittersweet eyes to look at her and break her heart. No tones of contempt to get a rise out of her. Even in all of its autotuned splendor, she knew the boys were only saying her name the way they always said her name, but it meant more that they didn’t ask any questions, just simply tried it. The diva did not care if it was due to programming or due to their nature, it just felt...</span>
  <em>
    <span>nice.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Y-yes...yes just like that! Hm? Oh no, no you don’t have to give me a pass, I’d rather not be given special treatment, boys. Flying limo? I appreciate the offer, but I can just meet you back at the mansion gates after, It’ll be hard for you to miss me amidst the crowd. Let Neon J know ok? If you don’t spot me, I know he will, even I cannot hide from his radar. Break a leg tonight!” She felt bad having to cut them off since all five boys loved to talk her ear off, but if she didn’t they would have continued with their offers and displays of adoration for hours. Once off the phone, she fell back against the pillows of her bed and felt her body relax. Staring at the ceiling that was also trimmed with the same neon lights that adorned the district she felt herself begin to laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Not everything needs a deeper meaning.” She said to herself as if to reaffirm that thought. It was hard to be open to such...face value concepts, but she was going to try her best. Reaching out to the boy band that seemed to idolize her so much throughout her career seemed like the best option as now she would be forced to show her face, be forced to put into practice what she was trying to learn, lest she hurt their feelings once more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      ...Oh, right…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      She hadn’t forgotten they were blindsided like the rest of the city when she made her announcement, but at least hearing their excitement on the phone made her feel slightly better about her actions. With roughly two hours till show time, the diva needed to do some mental prepping for her first public outing after a month of staying holed up. Even if she was sure there would be plenty of adoring fans to drown her out, the thought of being around that many people and getting bombarded by so many questions all at once was enough to unsettle her. So she did what she could to brace herself of what was to come and hoped she had it in her to accept the support that 1010 would no doubt wish to offer her. Acceptance. Letting others in. Maybe Metro Division would be useful to her after all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      As night fell upon Vinyl City once more, the various districts lit up in a dazzling array. The amusement park in metro was livelier than ever, thrill rides sending patrons into fits of joy filled laughter and screams. The spotlights were showing in the sky, signaling 1010’s flying limo would be zooming through to pick up the boys soon. There was already a massive crowd forming at the gates to Barraca Mansion, hordes of screaming fan girls with their signs and light sticks at the ready. Troves of gifts lay at the foot of the gates, some citizens were bold enough to even toss them over the 12-ft tall clearing or throw them in between the bars of the gates. Eve was able to file in amongst the crowd easily enough and thankfully for her, no one seemed to pay too close attention to her. Not with the impending arrival of 1010 greeting their mass of adoring fans. Fans waited in anticipation for the chance to be allowed past the gates and take their places along the air strip. The robots had nothing to fear being so close to fans like this, equipped with their barrier function for protection if needed. The minutes seemed to drag on, the crowd’s hype just continuing to sky rocket as Backstreet Sync played through speakers across the district. Moments later the music died down and the gates opened up slowly. On watch and directing the crowd were NSR’s newest security bots for the city, referred to as the Defcon Squad. Four 13-foot tall titans that each had a district they looked over to protect and ensure the safety of citizens. Tonight however, a squad of them were stationed throughout places along the air strip near the mansion. Their stature alone was enough to make citizens think twice about any funny business.  Two of the titans were directing foot traffic in an organized fashion while the other two were stationed further out from the entrance on opposite sides of the strip. Eve recognized the security bot with the yellow visor and hoped to god it didn’t hone in on her. DC-D, sporting yellow accenting lights, was the new and improved security bot for Dream Fever. They did their job well of course, but right now, Eve did not want to be made a spectacle of, and knowing how this bot would greet her on the daily seeing as she was charter, she did her best to steer clear of their line of sight.  It went smooth enough and once past the entry point she found a decent spot amongst other fans to stand and watch. The red and blue security bots surveyed the area as a countdown started coming from the speakers. When the announcer reached zero, the all familiar voice that was White of 1010 chimed through.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Hm. Look boys, our sea of adoring fans are finally here! Let's be the ideal boyfriends and give them our utmost attention. Attention!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      The words alone sent a rippling wave of screams through the crowd as the iconic flying limo carrying 1010 descended upon the air strip, the robotic boy band already on display for their crowd to see. Their intro music began to play through the speakers while they waved to all of their fans now screaming in joy and uncontrollable excitement. Eve stood among a fairly decent cluster off center from where they landed, arms folded across her chest as she watched their very rehearsed theatrical display begin. Predictable, yet the crowd couldn’t get enough. White’s words of flattery and praise again elicited an excited response from the crowd as they went straight into their next song. This one was more upbeat than the first and got more of the crowd moving along to their lyrics and music, but Eve was unphased as usual when it came to their antics. Not that their music wasn’t good, she just didn’t care much for getting lost in it completely after just two songs. However, she was already taller than the average person, so for her to be the odd one out amongst the group of gyrating citizens around her only served to land her directly on 1010’s radar in the middle of their routine. Green noticed first, then Yellow, Red, Blue and finally White. The boys quickly exchanged a glance in the middle of their dance and nodded to one another. The next half of their show would be starting soon, signaled by their limousine beginning to take off forward once more so they could do their tour of the city. Little did Eve know she was in perfect distance and position for White to reach out to her during another of their staged flirtatious lines. Except, this one was different. She saw it coming too late and White reached out to her at just the right time to take hold of her hand forcing her to look at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Oh how you’ve chosen to grace us with your beauty in all its splendor once again, may we see that radiant smile that takes our breath away once again!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      He shot her a wink and the other boys gathered around him to join in harmonies, one hand over their chest, the other outreaching to Eve. The diva stood there and shot them a knowing look before cracking a small smile as the limo picked up speed, this fleeting moment not leaving any room for others to take deep note of what had happened aside from an overwhelming amount of women and men alike swooning in the crowd. She didn’t really have time to think in that moment on it as the music crescendoed once more, limo zooming them off to the second half of their concert.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      Fleeting.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      The rest of the concert utilized screens, speakers and various stops where 1010 performed throughout their district, reaching as many of their fans as they could while still being able to perform for those in front of the mansion. When they came back, 1010 did their finale, complete with fireworks and no lack of dancing flare on their part. Oohs and Aahs from the crowd really just summed up how spectacular a sight the explosion of color that was put on for their viewing pleasure tonight. Each of the boys got in formation before giving their send off to the crowd for the night, striking a pose when it was their turn to say something to their fans. When it was finally Green’s turn, he looked through the sea of people briefly before stuttering a bit and then playing it off by laughing nervously. The crowd of course ate it up, pinning Green as the goofball </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “T-thank all of you wonderful people for showing up! Our hearts will yearn to see your beautiful faces once more!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Green fell back into place with his brethren and they did their signature send off to the crowd, blowing kisses and waving goodbye once the time frame for photos was over. The Def Con squad reopened the mansion gates to allow people to file out and head towards the meet and greet spot where the boys would emerge once more. The mass of people that steadily left gave Eve enough cover to idly stand off near one of the gates like she promised she would. She was grateful no one seemed to question or even acknowledge her, too preoccupied with the artist they came to see. Which is good, for her at least. Too busy watching the others go by for her to hear the shifting of a security bot behind her. Completely unaware of how DC-D, or the yellow one that she had known from her district, was now kneeling behind her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Uh, Miss Eve?” The deep voice came. The diva jumped and looked behind her, very taken aback. Like a deer caught in headlights, she couldn't even speak. Instead, her eyes slowly moved up to face the giant staring down at her even though they were kneeling.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      How on earth did this thirteen foot tall robot manage to sneak behind me??? Was I that distracted???</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Noticing the fear on her face, the security bot rubbed the back of its head and offered an apology. “Deepest apologies, it was not my intention to frighten you. I was asked to be the one to locate you tonight. Direct orders from the boss. You know how that goes. I’d ask why you would come to this place of all places you could go, but I feel that is not important right now.” The robot responded and was inwardly relieved when he saw Eve visibly relax once she realized she was in safe company. She let out a sigh and nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Yes...I...another time, DC-D.” She agreed. “So Neon designated you to be my bodyguard?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      DC-D nodded. “Indeed. Same post just different districts you could say.” They began with a chuckle also causing Eve to crack a smile. “Right you are. Now I know you did not just startle me for no reason DC-D, so please, what else were you asked to do?” She asked bluntly, hands on her hips, eyes meeting theirs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Always straight to the point, very well.” DC-D paused, looked over to his shoulder to see DC-A giving a thumbs up as they shut the gates to the mansion as the last of the attendees exited before returning their attention to her and laying out one of their hands, palm up, on the pavement before her. Eve looked at the hand then shot him a questioning glance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Please, hold on.” They instructed, unfazed by her slight confusion. After a moment of contemplation, she stepped forward and DC-D gently wrapped his hand around her, Eve doing as told and holding on to what she could. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Bear with me, Miss Eve.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Hm? O-oh!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      With the utmost care and without warning, the titan picked up the diva knowing full well one false move could snap her like a toothpick. However, being the guard for Dream Fever endowed DC-D with a gentle touch and though they had never been this close to the diva, the same amount of care was in place. He cradled her in his grasp, lifted her up and let her down safely on the opposing side of the fence that barred Barraca Mansion from the public.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Eve barely had a moment to react to the action, but DC-D made sure she was comfortable through the action. For whatever reason, even though it was brief, she felt at </span>
  <em>
    <span>home.  </span>
  </em>
  <span>When she was safe on the ground once more she looked up to DC-D who rose to their full stature once more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Well, Eve-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Nadia...please.” She interrupted. “Sorry I... I’m trying something new.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      The robot studied her for a moment, but nodded. “Ah, my apologies. Miss Nadia then, you are free to enter the mansion. Boss should be expecting you.” They said simply, nodding their head towards the direction of the mansion. She looked over to the grand estate, then back at the robot. It had been a month of silence. A month of struggles and month since she disappeared. Having to relearn how to function outside of her own district. It was nice to have at least one small piece of home, even if it was artificial. A small moment of familiarity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Yes of course...DC-D?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Yes, Miss Nadia?” The robot responded. The diva enjoyed hearing her name being said once more. She gave him a salute.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “...Thank you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Nadia turned on her heel and made her way to the mansion doors, not looking back at the security bot. Strangely enough, DC-D was stunned, watching her in silence. They were just doing their job. She didn’t have to thank them and yet..</span>
</p><p><br/>
<em>
    <span>      <strong>It’s nice to feel appreciated.</strong></span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A Forced Reprieve</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nadia goes to Barraca Mansion as promised to see her fellow colleagues only things quickly do not pan out the way she expects. Still, the outcome is something far greater than what she initially had already settled for and leaves her with just enough of a push to continue in her journey.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>      It had been several months since Nadia had last stepped foot in Barraca Mansion. Typically, Neon J was a very private person and only opened his extravagant home on rare occasions. NSR Artist parties were usually held there due to space or at Evenfall Gallery if they wanted to host something a bit more public and not for their VIPs alone. Other than that, the NSR artists largely gathered at NSR Tower and in Tatiana’s office for meetings and events, or Festival Plaza for the auditions and various other conferences that required all artists to be present. Looking at the mansion now and how many VIP and backstage pass holders 1010 brought in only led Nadia to note just how the captain must have gotten a bit more comfortable with the idea, but safety was still at his utmost importance. It was rare seeing the entirety of the DefCon Squad in one district, one was more than capable of guarding the district themselves, but given the grand scale and popularity of 1010’s concerts, it made sense to beef up security during the concert. Despite this, Nadia still felt very at ease approaching the mansion, the strikingly tall robots following out their orders until instructed to return back to their respective districts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Inside the mansion, the diva was met with an explosion of decor, effectively transforming the lobby and main floor into that of an exclusive club environment. 1AN, or Ian, the mansion butler bot, greeted her cordially and hoped she enjoyed her stay like the countless times he had done so for various other occasions that brought Nadia to the mansion.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Some things never change.,</span>
  </em>
  <span>she thought to herself, noting the ever so charming personality the robot possessed, given she’d expect nothing less of a robot created by Neon J. Once on the main floor, Nadia found herself surrounded by the sea of VIPs, fans, and 1010 mingling amongst the party goers. She was grateful that most everyone was too busy getting lost in the edm beats playing or in their own conversations. It made it easier for her to look around largely unbothered other than a few party goers saying hello or bumping into her on accident. She rolled her eyes and donned her signature pout, never one to have much tolerance for careless party people. At least not for several years now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      When did that change again? I wasn’t always so stuck up...right?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      The diva’s pondering came to an abrupt halt as she bumped into someone as well. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Oh, my bad miss…Eve!! err- Nadia!!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Looking down, Nadia had run into none other than one of the 1010 bots- Green to be specific. Whether she was ready to be social or not did not matter at this point considering he greeted her with an enormous smile and was already calling his brethren to join him, much to her dismay and gentle pleading with him to not do so. She ultimately met his smile with one of her own however.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Nothing gets past you, does it Green? As observant as always.” She managed to hide her worries beneath a sweet statement that did its job, sending the shy one into a small flustered flurry.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      So much for keeping a low profile.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “I-its just been a while, Nadia. We’ve all missed you a lot, and then with you stepping down and practically vanishing... “ Green looked down at his feet meekly. He didn’t have to finish the statement, she knew </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly</span>
  </em>
  <span> what he was getting at and the diva couldn’t help the true sympathetic smile that spread across her face while the others slowly gathered around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “...So I’ve learned.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Before Nadia could say more the other members of 1010 greeted her excitedly, commenting on her attire, and White could not resist giving her a big hug, causing her visible discomfort. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Our darling Nadiaaaa~ has returned once more to grace us with her beautiful presence! Oh how we have missed you~!” He exclaimed while the others echoed in chorus, joining in the group hug, much to her dismay, but she held her tongue until they released her from their grasp. Once free Nadia exhaled in relief and chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “You boys never change do you? Though I have to admit your performance out there did resonate with your audience. And that crowd, hmmmm.” She paused in thought, all 5 members of 1010 eagerly awaiting more of her appraisal. </span>
  <span>“Well, judging by the simple fact that you had to request the presence of all the DefCons present in Vinyl City, that alone should speak for how massive that crowd was. It is something I expected in my absence, I knew it would not be long before the charts shifted.” She concluded, continuing on her walk through the mansion. She’d do anything than to stand any longer and steal their attention away from other guests, but it seemed like no matter how she longed to go stand on the patio, the boyband made it very clear they would not be satisfied so easily, if the way they were following her was any indication. It was Blue who spoke up this time, light reflecting off of his signature pair of shades as they gathered around once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “It's true Nadia, we have seen our crowds grow exponentially in size since you stepped down. ...which of course begs the question just..why did you do it?” He was never one to beat around the bushes. The cool robot leaned against the door frame, now effectively blocking Nadia’s path to the mansion atrium. She placed a hand on her hip and rolled her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I would expect nothing less from you Blue, you and that insatiable curiosity of yours. You always liked to...test the waters. Although, it does come as a surprise that Neon J would not explain the situation to you after all the fuss he made in that meeting.” She purposely mumbled the last part, but Yellow caught it and perked up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Wh-what do you mean he made a fuss in the meeting? Every time we tried to get him to tell us what was going on, he refused! Said it wasn’t his place, but...We’re coworkers are we not? Rivals in some ways, yes when it comes to the charts, but Eve- I mean Nadia, you always chat with us!” Yellow’s concern was very evident and only served to make the slight guilt the diva felt earlier resurface. She felt like she was letting on far too much in just a short amount of time. Sure enough, like a roundtable the rest of them began their endless questions on why Neon J acted the way he did. Why is she on break? When is she coming back? She is coming back, right? What is gonna happen to Dream Fever in her absence? Nadia could start to feel her head swirl with the bombardment and tried to quickly think of a way to get all of them to move topic. To not worry about her. Half of her screamed to tell them it's none of their business. No one needed to concern them with her personal matters. She still felt that way honestly, but recalling the meeting from last month…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Nadia decided it might be best to try and soften her statement, even if she still felt like she was just being honest. Clearly, it wasn’t always seen as such so perhaps this was a good moment to try and practice a new approach. With a deep breath she held up a hand to silence their seemingly endless array of questions and eagerness. The boys ceased speaking, knowing well what the signal meant coming from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Now then...I assure you, there is no reason for alarm. There are just some...things I need to figure out for myself.” She began, her pauses partly due to her actively thinking about how to phrase what she wanted to say. The boys tilted their heads, more questions at the ready, but they held their tongues. Nadia knew very well all she had to do was end the conversation and they would leave her alone. Give them a reason or tell them to respect her privacy and it would suffice. No more pestering. No more questions, no mater their curiosity. They would respect her decisions once more. At least for the time being. Just say the word and they would change the topic easily enough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      The diva looked down in contemplation for only a moment further before shaking her head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      No.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      If she did that, the whole purpose of being here would be for naught. As White opened his mouth to speak, a soft sigh from her stopped him. When Nadia looked at the group once more her face had softened and she continued to explain, hoping her delivery would be taken well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “That...isn’t fair for you I suppose. For me to be so vague on such an important topic as this… It is..difficult to express this properly so I apologize if I only serve to complicate things further. Past actions when I open up to people about...personal matters always seem to do more harm than good.” She paused, waiting for the robots to register her comments. Blue stopped leaning cooly against the door frame, and they all nodded. All eyes on her once again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Please, go on Miss Nadia.” White gently urged. The diva was feeling both grateful and conflicted, but continued nonetheless, doing her best to push past her comfort zone once more. “Very well. So, I just felt I needed some time to myself. There is...a lot that I must think about and truly process. A lot I must rethink. A lot that I must address instead of push to my very depths and let it fester any longer. It is as though I have lost my true spark, and while I can still create and perform, if I do not even know my purpose for doing so, my purpose for doing all that I have done when it concerns art and music, what is the point in doing so? My colleagues...my fans… all of you deserve an artist much more worthy than me at the moment.” There it was, the lump that formed in her throat, threatening to dissolve into an endless stream of words filled with unspoken emotions. She managed to swallow it back down in this moment, feeling the burn of their gazes and sad expression. The pity. She hated it. She never wanted it. They shouldn’t be concerned, 1010 of all artists </span>
  <em>
    <span>most definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> should not be concerned. The idea of these artificial sentient pieces of metal being the ones she felt most comfortable approaching with this bothered her. To say she was comfortable bringing these matters up with them was also a stretch at best, but perhaps it was because she could still easily control the situation at a moment’s notice if need be. There was no worry of her words becoming twisted, no fear of the boy band doubting the truth in her words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Just pure acceptance. It was surface level, but that already was much better than having others constantly adding on their own second meaning to her thoughts and ideas that clashed with the diva’s already inserted subtext and concepts. Red was the one to break the silence and he walked up to Nadia and patted her shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “It‘s ok, Dad’s been in the business for almost as long as you, yeah? I would imagine it's such a fickle thing to be a human in a career like this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Out of the five, she felt like Red was the least likely to speak how he just did. Apparently the others thought the same, all looking at him in mild shock, but he didn’t seem bothered in the slightest and released the taller artist after a moment more. “What? You all are looking at me as though we aren’t all programmed with the same exact A.I.,” was his only remark as Nadia visibly relaxed. She didn’t give them time to tease the robot about referring to their captain as their dad and took a step back, gently removing the hand that rested on her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Anyway, tonight should not be about me or my problems, we have all gathered here to celebrate you and Neon J’s success! Go on, your fans are all waiting.” Nadia motioned to the crowd dancing and mingling around them. Funny, the boys could have sworn it was much more calm a few moments ago and-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Hey, where did she go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      When the robots had returned their attention to their coworker, she was gone. Vanished among the sea of excited fans that vied for the band’s attention and dancing socialites. None of them had time to properly react before the VIPs and backstage pass holders were surrounding them with things to sign, posters and albums at the ready, eager to take pictures.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Oh that was close…so close. Too close…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      When Nadia reappeared, she stepped out onto one of the mansion balconies, looking out over Vinyl City. It was the first time she had actually used her powers to escape a social situation in a while, let alone use them to keep the situation in her control. Just how much the robots understood of her power was unknown to her, and given the circumstances, they wouldn’t have time to think on it too hard. She wasn’t here to steal their thunder or make this night about herself, she was there to talk to them, support them, to show her face to them. To explain herself to those that cared about her even if she didn’t understand why they cared. Not yet at least. The diva let out a deep sigh that lost itself to the wind. From up here, everything in the district looked so small and fleeting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Far too many questions that just...don’t stop. And in turn the more I answer, the more they bring up. When, when is the cycle supposed to end? What is it that I am not getting? This shouldn’t be so hard, I shouldn’t have to flee from a conversation like that, and yet..” She huffed as she leaned over the railing, watching the array of people, cars, flickering lights and other signs of life in the city move. She was strong and could manipulate so much, bend visions and reality to her will and yet time? Time would march on regardless of wherever she chose to sit or forced others to stay in. It reminded her she was human, but at this moment she found it vexing. Like the world was spinning, but she lay trapped in between two places. Like standing in a glass house, put on display for the world to see her every move. A pedestal high above the clouds. Even those who should be on the same level as her were not. The clear disconnect she had with those around her just caused more problems and she almost felt like giving up in that moment. Perhaps she was just supposed to accept this walk of life she was on and stick to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      It was nonsense speaking but somehow the sweet honeyed voice of giving in was far more tantalizing than forcing herself to forge this new walk of life. Forcing herself to be strong once more. If she could barely handle talking to robots for a prolonged amount of time, how was she ever to make amends with those around her, let alone herself? Nadia’s head was swimming with possibilities and outcomes so much it drowned out the sound of another joining her on the balcony.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Needed the fresh air I assume?” The metallic voice asked. Nadia practically jumped in surprise at the sound and quickly turned around to face her fellow colleague who quickly put up his hands in surrender once he saw her expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “S-so sorry, comrade! I didn’t mean to startle you.” The district charter quickly apologized and waited for Nadia to visibly relax before approaching.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “No J, it's...it's fine really. Sorry, I hope you forgive me for sneaking up here.” She answered softly once she calmed down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Is it really sneaking if you knew exactly where you wanted to go in order to escape my troops’ eyes? With the mere thought you whisked yourself up here. Either that, or you certainly move faster than any vehicle I’ve witnessed in my life.” The cyborg chuckled, trying to lighten the obvious tension in the air. “Kind of hard to be discreet when the owner of said mansion gets a ping at the sign of movement in the area, dear.” He pointed at his screen that indicated Eve’s location. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Oh...right. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Just needed some fresh air is all.” She began, but Neon J knew better and shook his head as he made his way over to her, standing next to her as he looked out over the city. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “Can get pretty claustrophobic downstairs, yeah? I don’t blame you for needing an escape route. All good plans include one.” The man answered as his cape flowed in the breeze. The two stayed silent like that for a while, just watching as the world ticked on by. Neon J didn’t want to pressure her, but given how many times he found himself alone on a balcony before, contemplating life, his future, and digging to the root of insecurities and worries in privacy, he knew very well Nadia was not just standing out there to rest. It pained him not to question her, but he feared he might make her close up even further than she usually did. It’s why he left the situation to continue on her terms and only when Nadia decided to cast her gaze upon him did he shift his position as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Neon J, do you mind if I…try to make sense of something aloud for a bit? You do not need to respond if you wish not to, however I can not help but feel that you may be of assistance with this. Um... Well perhaps I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Neon J held up his hand, seeing how she became nervous at her own proposition, how she quickly darted her eyes away and cupped her face in thought, already second guessing herself. It was quite a rare sight indeed, but instead of focusing on that, he simply answered her, reassuring her that she was making herself clear.</span>
</p><p><span>      “Eve- I mean, Nadia. All is well. I understand what you are getting at. You want to discuss something that I may be able to help you with?” He replied and her eyes widened slightly, but she nodded, a wave of relief washing over her.</span><span><br/>
</span> </p><p>
  <span>      “Yes, yes actually. Only thing is, I’m not exactly sure just where to begin with it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      The cyborg looked back out over the city. </span>
  <span>“Well, one thing I like to do is just start talking. Doesn’t matter where, just as long as you get all the thoughts out. I’ll do my best to follow along, ok?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      It seemed simple enough, Neon J certainly makes it sound that way. Just...start speaking till there are no more thoughts left, right? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Nadia was quiet for a few more minutes, struggling not to overthink the advice given to her before taking a deep breath and choosing her starting point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “There’s no point in repeating what I said back at the tower, especially not now seeing as how your troops just subjected me to a game of twenty questions downstairs. Though I frown upon using my powers on a simple whim like that, I felt it was...rude if they kept their attention on me in the midst of their adoring fans. When I could not take any more of their spotlight, I made my exit, seamlessly vanishing amongst the crowd.” There was no tone in her voice to indicate any subtext, or at least none that the captain could pick up on as of yet and he simply nodded, watching her look to the stars.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Right...well, I made some promises to myself during this time I’ve been away. To focus on addressing my faults head on so I can elevate myself once more, but this time, on much better terms, as well as make amends to those I have hurt in my artistic process. The thing is...It’s been quite difficult to pinpoint such faults. I did not think much of it initially, people not understanding what I mean when I talk, not understanding why you all felt almost entitled to know my private matters. Why you all cared so much. Even now, I do not understand. It is not as though we artists are friends or truly all that close. Believe me when I tell you it has been perplexing to say the least. Trying to unravel such meaning, yearning to ever find the answer, but...there is none. None that I know of, none that comes to me.” As she spoke, she made small hand gestures mostly to help her make sense of the thoughts flowing from her lips. Her brows furrowed slightly as she mentioned her struggle and her grip on the hand rail tightened as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      After the years they had been in NSR together, this is probably the most Neon J has witnessed her emote- by the time he had joined, the diva known as Eve had already skyrocketed to mega stardom, powering the city on her own with one after the other of show stopping performances and magnificent art installations. Innovations to better the city, amassing fans and spreading the word of all that NSR was and continues to do for the city. Her actions always spoke far louder than her words, but she always seemed so reserved, never sparing a glimpse passed the image that was Eve. So for Neon J, it truly was like seeing a small glimpse through the cracks. From what the troops had told him earlier that day as well, she chose to forego her stage name and was instead trying to use her true name, something she had not done in her entire time of being in NSR. She was younger than him by at least ten years, if not more, but she seemed so much more knowledgeable in some places. In others, it was like a complete disconnect from society, and he never knew why. Neon J made mental note of her small movements and expressions while Nadia continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “It pains me much more than you know to admit it, but...in a way, this elusive answer, or bundle of answers really, I haven’t even begun to speak on the latter of the promises I made to myself, but yes these elusive answers truly parallel how I felt right after graduation.” This time, he could hear the clear hesitation in her voice. In any other case, Eve would not dare bring up the memory, but this wasn’t Eve anymore. This was Nadia. Or, at least she was trying to be. Perhaps both ideas existed, but the diva felt it was important to strip away the false image during this journey, so Nadia fit the bill better. There was a pause in the flow of her thoughts, but as assured, Neon J did not push her to continue. It was not worth disrupting her process, no matter how curious. Essentially, he just wanted to be the companion presence she needed, even if she didn’t explicitly say it. Nadia closed her eyes and tousled her hair, feeling nervous to speak up, but something in her gut urged her to do so. As if speaking it aloud would be better than to let the train of thought die in her void. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Ah yes, when I first was offered a spot in NSR, I don’t think I have told you this story have I, Neon J?” She opened one eye to look at him and hummed while waiting for his answer to which the cyborg shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “No, I don’t recall you sharing your origin story, so to speak.” </span>
  <span>He earned an amused chuckle from the diva who shut her eye once more and returned to her visualization. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “As I thought. Well, I suppose you could call it an origin story of sorts, though it is not one filled with happiness. It is filled with harsh truths of reality as much of life is. An awakening, if you will, of the one called “Eve.” The way she started off made it feel as though Neon J was being privileged to hear some grandiose story of hers, her tone was serious as she normally was, but...there was something else to it that he couldn’t quite grasp just yet. Regardless, she continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “The day Tatiana handed me my invitation in person is one I will never forget. I had just gotten off stage from one of the final Rupturika festivals. My partner, my ex, had bolted right before our curtain call due to an accident. I didn’t realize it at the time but I had made a truly awful mistake. It happened a lot back then, mishaps here and there, coming off far too strong when it came to artistic endeavors, pushing him too much in certain cases under the guise of seeing him achieve the same level of success I was, to see him reach the same field I played in. To try in earnest to get him to see the kind of man I saw he could become.” Nadia paused, taking another deep breath then exhaling moments later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Ah, but not once did the man ever stop me. Never confronted me. So, in my naivety, I continued to be, well, myself. Never giving a second thought to my actions, never changing myself for anyone, and going forth being unapologetically myself after being given countless signs and encouragement to do so. That’s largely how I operated until recently when he came back in with that pedestr- with his new bandmate, and fought with me, emerging victorious and then leaving me with his final say on all matters. An absolution. Like he was trying to get his point across. Funny… he has never spoken to me like that. ...I was glad. He didn’t say much at all truly, and yet, he spoke volumes. The brilliance in that mind, the depth one person holds. To think after all these years it is still ever changing, ever coursing, ever flowing. ...I digress. The important thing here is that he left without a single word until this rock revolution happened. He never spoke up. He never answered my calls or texts. A plethora of questions swirled through my mind, and though I knew somewhere inside the day would come, I still did not expect it. But, time does not stop. And Tatiana was waiting for my answer. ..I made her wait for a month, but that month was just wasted time. Time spent trying desperately to chase after answers that would not come till nearly six years later.” As she spoke the last line, Nadia opened her eyes and reached out, as if to grab the stars themselves. When she opened her fist, a faintly glowing orb was present before it twinkled out into the darkness. An act to add flare to her story, but mostly to help her keep a mental note of where she wanted to go with this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I did not use that time properly to process the heartbreak, or anything else. I didn’t reflect, I didn’t look at myself and instead resigned from that moment on to try and force all in this city to reach new heights by shoving my views onto them. No one mattered in my eyes, so long as my vision and my goals were met, I would do what it took to stay in NSR. I bettered this city for several years on my own until you came along. Despite my own feelings towards how society viewed me, I still cared deeply about this city. It had been my dream to make it here, to finally have a spot I belonged seeing as how I was under the impression that I did not fit anywhere else. Under Tatiana’s guidance, I learned I did not have to fit the mold, and instead I should make my own. And so I did while also coming up with new ways to further help and protect all who thrived here. ...It meant nothing to so many, but for those who took note, I silently appreciated it. At some point there was the clear shift in demeanor and Eve no longer was a stage name, it was who I was- am- it’s complicated. As Eve, I gave no thought to anyone who did not possess any level of artistic perception, and barely acknowledged those who scratched the surface. And I thought nothing of it. Why should I care? I owe these people nothing. Dream Fever was my domain and I, as charter, was instructed to make sure the lights were kept on and the flood waters kept down. Beyond that, I was free to do what I pleased. I enjoyed performing and I enjoyed the crowds of course, but it still just felt like it should be expected, because it was part of the job. She gave me full creative reign and that’s pretty much how I made it this far. But...it wasn’t until recently that the thought occurred to me, “What exactly is it that you’re trying to do here?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>       Nadia glanced to the cyborg who gave her a reassuring nod that he was indeed listening and processing everything she was saying. Though it did not help calm her, she was at least appreciative he did not lose interest and was keeping his word. She didn’t even notice by then how much faster she was speaking.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>      “It is that question that prompted me to step back. Like all things in this business, it does not come to sit in your lap. If you long for something, you must make it happen. ...I knew very well it was not going to be easy to come to terms with this notion, but I was determined to get through to Tatiana. She wouldn’t like the decision and I knew I couldn’t be vague at all with her. This scared me considering how difficult it was and continues to be for me to make myself clear to those around me. Any time I open up, it has always only served to further complicate things. Yet I dared still to challenge her. Even if I knew I was doing this essentially without knowing what would come from it, that even at the end of this journey I could still fail to change, fail to grow, fail to see my faults, I challenged her. I fought for this break. Now, I’m here. And…I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      It was only then that she realized she was shaking, her grip on the guard rail trembling. Her heart pounded in her chest and she ultimately got too choked up to speak further, like the words she spoke had razor edges and threatened to slice her tongue should she continue. As if she was fighting through a literal gate. Nadia tried to get control back, tried to clear her mind once more so she didn’t spiral any further. It hadn’t occurred to her just how tough it would be to speak on the subject for so long. Just when she felt like she wanted to collapse to the floor, she was enveloped by a warmth, the gentle hum of machinery embracing her. Shocked, she opened her eyes and saw Neon J was hugging her firmly. The pounding still continued in her chest, she was still shaking, but it wasn’t until he spoke did she finally shatter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “There, there, it’s ok. You’re safe here. You’re doing a good job, it’s always the hardest to start a new chapter…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      The sobs came suddenly as if she bursted at the seams, then she buried her face against the cyborg’s shoulder and gripped at the metal exterior tightly while she fell to pieces. True to his word, Neon J did not push her, did not attempt to pry anything further from her or say more than he needed to. Really, he didn’t need to pry any further, her body language, the small cracks in her outer image, the look in her eyes towards the end mere moments before she fell apart said all he needed to know. Just when was the last time she allowed herself to fully feel the weight of everything that had happened? Almost six years ago? Didn’t matter, it was obvious it had been very overdue. For him, it was by far the most he had ever heard her speak. In all the years he has known Eve, she spoke only when she had to and only the bare minimum she needed. People labeled her as intimidating, confusing, cold, loopy, but here? Here in this moment she was the most relatable being he had ever known, and it rang loud and clear. He let her weep for quite some time while he gently pat her back until it was high time they both went back inside. He let her spill the seemingly endless apologies, refused her then seemingly endless insistence that she didn’t want to impose. The excuses, the plethora of reasons as to why she could not stay in a guest room in the large house. All of it. And for every single reason, he refused. Not because he wanted to force her to stay, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>he had been there</span>
  </em>
  <span>. God knows how many times he had been in her exact position. How many times he had slipped and the troops found him passed out over his work desk from sheer exhaustion, and not physical, </span>
  <em>
    <span>mental exhaustion</span>
  </em>
  <span>. To have overheard him weeping his artificial tears over a moment of weakness or one memory just stinging too hard at any given moment. Grieving over the loss of his own humanity. It was the most genuine of human responses and though hers stemmed from a much different place, he still understood. Neon J was determined to make sure Nadia was safe and make sure she knew she didn’t have to go through this alone. In a way, he was fearful of her to drop by when 1010 had excitedly told him the news earlier that day, but now? He was more than glad she overcame what must have been a big obstacle on herself to show up, stick around, and not flee entirely from the situation. Knowing what little he did of her, he imagined she would have gone back downstairs if left unbothered but this was most likely the better outcome. At some point she quit talking and just let the man lead her to one of the many guest bedrooms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      After the crying stopped, Nadia looked and felt like a mess. As to be expected from a long and hard cry like the one she just had, the ones that afterwards leave you in a void state before you’re able to process what really just happened. She sat on the edge of the guest bed and stared at her hands she had rested on her lap. She was still wearing her clothes from earlier despite Neon J handing her a set of comfortable pajamas. Her eyes were puffy and she could feel the tear stains on her cheeks. Going over the situation caused her... embarrassment? No, it felt more like shame. She didn’t mean to do that. She didn’t mean to come here and make a scene. She wasn’t supposed to do that, she was just supposed to come here and support her fellow colleagues and then leave, like a professional. Instead… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>      No, no it wasn’t. At least she was aware enough to recognize the trap that lay itself before her in her mind once more. That settled, she sighed, dragged herself to the shower that was in the next room, and basically threw herself onto the freshly made bed once out of shower and in pajamas. When Nadia woke up next, she picked her head up and looked with half-open eyes to see a blurry crowd of five sitting at the foot of the bed, each carrying some sort of item, a gift she assumed. When a chorus of “Good morning super staaaar~!” rang out, the diva practically jumped out of bed. Laughter filled the air and though she scolded the group, it was all in jest. The robotic boy band helped their dear friend up, allowed her to put on slippers and led her downstairs so they could all have breakfast together. It felt strange to her, but where once lay confusion, now lay a piece of happiness. That breakfast was the most happy she had been in months and she secretly wished for that feeling to linger, but knew this was not her stopping point. Once ready, she said her goodbyes to each of the boys and each one handed her the gift from before- flowers, paint brushes, makeup pallets, a purse, and a mirror, each member giving her a hug and encouraging words. Clearly, Neon J had briefed them prior to her waking up so even if she didn’t want them to know what happened, they all knew, but they respected her enough to not bring it up and instead take that moment to really show their appreciation for the diva. When it was Neon J’s turn to address her, he too gave her a hug, but instead of a tangible gift, he gave her words of encouragement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “I take it you’re off to spend time in Natura next?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      By now, she shouldn’t be surprised the captain would assume her next move and she nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Yes...I thought it best to spend time in each of the other districts in order to open my eyes to new perspectives and views. Given how this past month went in Metro, I’d say it is a sound plan. I may not know all the answers, but…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      He stopped her before she could continue. “You don’t have to know them, Nadia. The fact that you are trying is a big step all its own. I mean it when I say I am very proud of you, comrade, it is not an easy road to travel alone.” Neon J paused, then placed a hand on her shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Whatever you do, keep marching. Keep that head held high and just keep marching, Nadia. You’ll accomplish your goal, I’m certain.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      With those words, he stepped back and gave her a solute. She smiled and saluted him back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Yes sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      She waved her goodbyes from the taxi once settled in and they were soon off, the sight of Barraca Mansion shrinking in the distance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      “To Natura please!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      There was still much for her to learn.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey everyone!! Thank you all for all the comments, kudos, and support you give as well as discussion around the fic on twitter and across different discord serves, it means so much to me that you have taken such a deep interest in this work of mine! With that, I do apologize for taking far too long to update but I hope this chapter and the conversations in it give you just as much emotion and joy as the others. By now, some of you have guessed that our darling diva is going on a journey through each district and I'm glad you caught onto that! Please stick around as I do my best to update in a timely fashion to see how this all unfolds! Thank you once again and as always you can keep up with me and daily art posts, discussion and the like on my twitter:<br/>https://twitter.com/merluvli</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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